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A criminal court in Kuwait has sentenced a municipal employee and an Indian national to seven years in prison over their alleged involvement in a network accused of smuggling subsidized diesel out of the country and selling it abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n Four other Indian defendants were each sentenced to one month in prison, while a customs officer, a Ministry of Interior sergeant and an Egyptian marketing manager were acquitted.<\/p>\n The case involves allegations of customs forgery, smuggling subsidized diesel out of Kuwait and reselling it abroad after purchasing the fuel from the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n According to the charges, the first three defendants allegedly helped an unidentified individual forge a customs declaration to complete clearance procedures and facilitate the shipment of diesel outside the country.<\/p>\n Three other defendants were accused of assisting the alleged operation by preparing containers and filling them with diesel for export and resale abroad.<\/p>\n Another defendant was accused of participating in the alleged forgery, smuggling and sale of the fuel. The municipal employee, a public servant, was charged with falsifying official documents, including two customs declarations and exit permits linked to the case, and participating in the alleged forgery, smuggling and sale of diesel.<\/p>\n Ten containers declared as iron<\/strong><\/p>\n Kuwait\u2019s Ministry of Interior previously said that its Criminal Security Sector had uncovered an organised network suspected of illegally exporting petroleum products.<\/p>\n The investigation was carried out by the General Department of Criminal Investigation\u2019s Financial Crimes Department and Sea Ports Investigation Department, in co-operation with the General Administration of Customs.<\/p>\n Authorities began investigating after receiving information about 10 containers prepared for export whose contents allegedly did not match the declared description of the goods as iron.<\/p>\n Investigators subsequently discovered petroleum products inside the containers. The shipments were covered by two customs declarations registered under two commercial companies, according to the authorities.<\/p>\n The case was referred for legal proceedings following an investigation into the suspected smuggling operation and the alleged use of forged customs documents to facilitate the export of subsidized diesel.<\/p>\n The court acquitted the three defendants who had been identified as a customs officer, a Ministry of Interior sergeant and an Egyptian marketing manager, while sentencing the remaining defendants according to its judgment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n