100,000 could face travel bans

KUWAIT: Nearly 100,000 people in Kuwait could face travel bans as per court orders requiring them to pay dues owed to the state, the Justice Ministry announced in a press conference on Tuesday.

This comes as part of a new system by which the government plans to collect nearly KD12 million in fees for using state services or fines in felony and misdemeanor cases, said the head of the Prosecution of Criminal Execution Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohammad Al-Duaij.

He added that with effect from Jan 2, 2013, the system will automatically start blacklisting people who owed money to the state. The travel ban will be the first punitive stage in the system and will be followed later with suspension of the debtor’s transactions with all service-related ministries. The final stage includes issuing subpoena and a possible jail term for up to six months.

Al-Duaij explained during the press conference, also attended by Interior Ministry officials, that the travel ban will become effective 90 days after the court order.

The ban will be automatically lifted once the fee is paid at respective departments or special offices at the Kuwait Airport and land border checkpoints. The ban can only be lifted on payment of pending dues or permission granted for humanitarian reasons, Al-Duaij added.

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