Civil Servant Sentenced to Prison for Pocketing 10 Years of Salary Without Working

A civil servant in Kuwait has been sentenced to five years in prison after collecting salaries for a decade without showing up for work, according to local media reports. The court of cassation handed down one of the harshest penalties in recent years for salary fraud in the country’s public sector, ordering the employee to pay a $1 million fine in addition to repaying the $339,000 he received, along with double that amount as a penalty.

Court records indicate that the unnamed civil servant was employed in the citizens’ service department but remained absent from his duties for ten years while continuing to receive monthly salary deposits. The case came to light after authorities investigated his prolonged absence and opened charges of unlawful enrichment and misuse of public funds.

Previously acquitted by two lower courts, the court of cassation overturned those verdicts, citing overwhelming evidence of the fraudulent activity. Local news outlet Al Qabas described the ruling as a landmark decision, reflecting Kuwait’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on administrative corruption and salary fraud within the civil service.