Senior Kuwaiti Official Quits Over Raffle Draw Scam
A Kuwaiti commerce official has resigned after a high-profile raffle draw fraud has been unmasked in the country, triggering public outcry and massive investigations.
Undersecretary of Kuwait's Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ziad Al Najem submitted his resignation to Minister Khalifa Al Ajeel, citing 'moral responsibility', reported Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas.
'We took the necessary legal measures against the violators in the draws case without delay. Still, this heinous incident has gone beyond the limits of the ministry and has reflected a negative image among citizens,' Al Najem was quoted as saying in his resignation letter.
'Out of a sense of moral responsibility as a leader and in defence of the efforts of all loyal employees of the ministry, I submit my resignation from my position,' he added.
As the scam unfolded and key suspects were made, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced forming a fact-finding committee and began reviewing all previous draws.
Suspicions are rife that raffle draws linked to a famous annual shopping festival were manipulated with an Egyptian expat woman accused of winning multiple prizes under suspicious circumstances.
She and her husband were detained before they could leave Kuwait. A Ministry of Commerce employee was arrested too.
Investigations revealed that the woman working for a charitable committee and her husband illegally had won seven luxury cars in different raffle draws.
The ministry's employee is accused of having surreptitiously taken the winning coupon from his sleeve during a recent raffle draw for a Cadillac on a TV show as part of the Ya Hala Shopping Festival.
Authorities suspect the fraud ring to be more extensive than initially thought, involving individuals of several nationalities, including Egyptians, Asians, and Kuwaiti citizens.
As many as 40 Kuwaitis and expats are 'under suspicion' of manipulating the draws and allocating them to specific individuals after agreeing with them in exchange for financial sums, Al Qabas has reported, citing an official source.
The suspects will all be summoned for investigation.
The source revealed that the Ministry of Commerce is holding round-the-clock meetings to follow up on the draws. The ministry is currently reviewing all prize draws held since 2024 and is compiling a database for all draw winners.
All those who won twice in recent years' draws will be summoned for questioning, according to media reports.
The case erupted in public this week after a video circulated on social media showing a person fraudulently acting during the draw.
The Interior Ministry identified the person in the footage as a Kuwaiti man acting as the head of the draws department at the Ministry of Commerce. Investigations found out that he had exploited his position to systematically manipulate draws for prizes offered by companies, thus ensuring they will go to specific persons in exchange for financial benefits.
Source Gulf News
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