Kuwait Imposes 43,290 Travel Bans On Debtors In H1 2024
Kuwait has launched a massive crackdown on debtors, with authorities imposing seizures on assets and issuing thousands of travel bans just weeks after the government reinstated the arrest of individuals unable to repay their debts.
The General Administration of Sentences Enforcement at the Ministry of Justice reported that 2,140,417 creditors filed requests in the first half of 2024 to seize debtor-owned assets held by third parties, following final court rulings in their favour.
In the same period, officials seized 42,885 vehicles linked to unpaid debts and issued 43,290 travel bans to restrict defaulters from leaving the country. However, 25,149 travel bans were lifted after debtors collectively paid KD 6,183,290 to settle their obligations.
A total of 4,460,069 legal procedures were carried out in the first half of the year, with 48 per cent related to executive seizure requests — making it the most common enforcement measure.
Meanwhile, travel bans due to outstanding debts accounted for 43.2 per cent of all cases in the travel ban departments. Compared to the first half of 2023, debt-related travel bans surged by 31.7 per cent in 2024.
The surge in debt-related legal proceedings follows recent amendments to Kuwait's Civil and Commercial Procedures Law and Bankruptcy Law.
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