A Syrian national and two Egyptians have been linked to an online gambling and money laundering network.
Kuwait’s Court of Appeal has sentenced a Syrian national and two Egyptians to seven years in prison each for running an online gambling and money laundering network that channelled millions of dinars through shell companies and informal money transfer systems.
The State Security Circuit at the Court of Appeal also imposed combined fines of KD16.839 million on the three defendants after finding them guilty of operating an international electronic betting scheme and laundering its proceeds.
The court also imposed fines on five shell companies, totalling KD8.419 million, after ruling that they were used as fronts to conceal and transfer funds linked to illegal online gambling activities.
According to court documents, the Syrian defendant acted as an agent for a global online gambling platform and led a network that routed betting proceeds through fictitious companies and fraudulent invoices. The funds were then integrated into the financial system before being transferred abroad through alternative remittance channels.
Investigations by Kuwait’s criminal investigation and state security authorities uncovered the network’s operations and financial transactions prior to the suspects’ arrest and subsequent referral to trial.
Authorities said the funds involved exceeded KD 8.419 million. The case comes as Kuwait and other GCC countries intensify efforts to combat money laundering and illicit financial activities, including online gambling and cross-border financial crime.
