Authorities in Kuwait have uncovered a network rigging sweepstakes in exchange for bribes. ARCHIVE

Kuwaiti authorities have arrested three individuals in connection with a raffle draw fraud scheme, exposing a network that manipulated sweepstakes in exchange for financial gains. The investigation began after a viral video on social media showed an individual rigging the results of a raffle draw. This led the Criminal Security Sector at the Ministry of Interior to launch a probe, identifying the man as Ahmed Mohammed Al Hamad, a Kuwaiti national and the head of sweepstakes at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. "He had exploited his position to systematically manipulate multiple sweepstakes held by companies offering prizes, ensuring that specific individuals won in exchange for financial gains," according to the Ministry of Interior.

A network of fraudulent winners

Further investigations uncovered a wider network involved in raffle manipulations. Among those identified was Fatima Jaman Saad Diab, an Egyptian national who had won multiple prizes, including five vehicles under her name and two others under her husband's name. Fatima and her husband, Mohamed Abdel Salam Mohamed Al-Ghrabali, were arrested at Kuwait International Airport while attempting to leave the country. Fatima admitted that her husband had secured the rigged wins through a work colleague who introduced them to a Dominican national, Saleh Majid Faris Khamis, who guaranteed a win in exchange for a bribe of 200 to 600 Kuwaiti dinars per prize. Al Hamad also confessed that he had collaborated with Saleh to manipulate results, splitting the bribes between them. Authorities have identified other fraudulent winners, with legal action currently underway. Meanwhile, two key figures in the scheme, Mohamed Sobhi El Sayed and Saleh Majid Faris Khamis, have fled Kuwait, and authorities are working with Interpol to track them down. The Ministry of Interior has vowed to pursue the harshest legal penalties for all those involved, emphasizing that such fraud undermines the integrity of Kuwait’s business sector. "We will take maximum legal action against those involved to ensure justice and prevent further exploitation of public trust," the ministry stated. ICA/Expat Media
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