In the latest official response from Kuwait regarding the "prize draws" incident, the Kuwaiti Attorney General has ordered that the investigation into the "Yahala" Kuwait Shopping Festival prize draws be conducted in secrecy, along with a ban on the publication of any news or statements about it.
Simultaneously, the Kuwaiti Attorney General, Saad Al-Safran, emphasized that the Public Prosecution will take legal action against those violating this ban. In an official statement, it was clarified that investigations were initiated by the Public Prosecution in case number 947 of the year 2025, in the Capital Prosecution, registered as number 550 of 2025 criminal investigations. This follows a report from security services within the Ministry of Interior, which indicated that several individuals manipulated the prize draws of the "Yahala" Kuwait Shopping Festival, committing multiple offenses including forgery, bribery, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and harming the national interests of the country.
The Kuwaiti statement also highlighted that, due to media and social media discussions regarding this case and their potential negative impact on the investigation processes, as well as the harm they could inflict on national interests, the Attorney General ordered the investigation to remain confidential and banned the publication of any related news or data. Legal actions will be taken against anyone violating this injunction.
In recent days, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerce and Industry has taken decisive actions regarding the prize draw case, notably forming a fact-finding committee to investigate irregularities in previous draws, chaired by Adnan Abl, President of the Kuwaiti Lawyers Association.
The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Abdullah Al-Haraz, emphasized enhancing consumer and public trust in the ministry, stating that suspicions surrounding a recent festival draw are not to be taken lightly or dismissed.
These developments follow the arrest by the Kuwaiti Criminal Investigation Department of a network involved in tampering with draw results, after a video surfaced on social media showing an individual engaging in fraudulent draw activities.
In recent hours, the Kuwaiti Public Prosecution ordered the detention of a citizen and five residents following intensive investigations that revealed their involvement in serious crimes related to the draws that have caused significant public uproar. The defendants were charged with forgery in official documents, bribing a public employee, facilitating the embezzlement of state-held funds, money laundering, and other major crimes that severely damaged national interests.
Additionally, Kuwait's Al-Rai newspaper revealed that the external fact-finding committee, formed by Minister of Commerce and Industry Khalifa Al-Ajail about the violations, decided to inspect prize draw records over the past 10 years, from 2015 to 2025. Sources noted that a digital platform is scheduled to launch for reporting issues related to prize draws.