21 Nov Kuwait Fire Force employee arrested for alleged embezzlement
Authorities in Kuwait have arrested a civil servant working within the firefighting service on suspicion of embezzling KD2million.
The suspect worked as a clerk within the payroll department of the Kuwait Fire Force and is thought to have inflated his salary multiple times over a period of two years. The increase in salary went unnoticed for two years, until the Kuwait Fire Force’s audit department spotted the KD50,000 monthly salary he was earning – an amount which exceeded the salary of senior state officials in the country.
His basic salary was just KD1,100 a month. According to a source, the illegal move was possible because the suspect would log into the computer once the payroll lists were approved and then tamper with his own salary.
The man was arrested and banned from travelling outside of the country. In initial investigations he admitted to using the embezzled funds to buy a store for precious stones at the Al Mubarakia market, according to reports.
In a statement The Directorate General of Fire Services announced it has formed a committee to get to the bottom of the matter and is taking active steps in order to recover the money in coordination with the Public Prosecution.