The Court of Cassation’s First Circuit, presided over by Counselor Sultan Bursali, endorsed the two-year imprisonment imposed on the Syrian expatriate. Judicial updates confirmed that the defendant had threatened his wife with the release of private materials. The ruling finalizes the verdict after lower courts convicted him on the related charges.
The man secured the photos and video clips after gaining unauthorized entry into the victim’s accounts on social media platforms. He then conditioned his silence on the payment of 20,000 Kuwaiti dinars. The court examined evidence showing the threats centered on distributing the compromising content.
Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department arrested the suspect following the wife’s complaint. Investigators traced the illegal access and linked it directly to the defendant. The probe established the sequence of events that began with the account breaches and led to the extortion attempt.
This decision aligns with other prosecutions involving digital blackmail in Kuwait. An Egyptian man received a two-year sentence with hard labor and deportation after he was found guilty of blackmailing his friend’s wife by stealing the friend’s Facebook account and using it to demand illicit benefits. The cybercrime division proved that he was behind the account in that separate matter.
Kuwaiti security agencies have handled multiple cases where personal data from online platforms was weaponized against victims. The Criminal Investigation Department frequently employs technical forensics to identify those responsible for unauthorized intrusions. Such efforts contributed to the resolution of the Syrian national’s prosecution.
Kuwait’s penal code provides for imprisonment in convictions for blackmail and illegal account access. The judiciary applies these provisions in cases that involve exploitation of intimate images or recordings. The upheld sentence in this instance concludes the legal proceedings against the defendant.
