HOW IT STARTED

My life changed – and was almost completely destroyed – when I was unlucky enough to witness an example of corruption between Al-Mulla and Kuwait goernment officians:

In October 2007, a man called Ayad Fahim Abdulhai bought a car from Al-Mulla and I was there to see him pay for it. In August 2008, he came back and asked for a copy of a receipt because he wanted to export the car and needed the paperwork. He was thrown out of the company offices and refused any such documents. The company officials – especially my manager Mr Nazih Abu-Assi (head of used sales) as well as my colleague in the department who had sold him the car, Mr Mohammed Khalil, denied they had ever sold him anything. Ayad said I was a witness. After Ayad left, Nazih came to me and said I must never say I saw Ayad pay for anything or buy anything and if I was asked, I had to lie.

Matters got worse because Ayad managed to discover the fraud. Internal accounts of the company showed another person was recorded as buying his car but at a much lower price, as well as another car that was also recorded at a lower price than what was paid for it, and a third car was added on to that false bill, that was given as a bribe to a senior police officer called Col. Ali Al-Huwaidi.

Ayad filed a legal complaint and said I was a witness to him paying. Nazih said I must lie and commit perjury if I was called as a witness. I argued with him and said I will not lie under oath. He threatened to fire me and make my life a hell if I did not. He also offered me bribes – a wage rise, and perks including a company car – if I lied under oath.

I went to the heads of the company, Mr Anwar Al-Mulla and Mr Abdullah Al-Mulla and told them what was happening. They both told me I should do as Nazih wanted and commit perjury. Nazih then also told me that the Al-Mulla would make my life hell if I testified honestly.

Nazih then tried to fabricate a false holiday for me and move me to another showroom to make it difficult for the police to find me but, in the end, the police found me and threatened me with contempt and arrest if I refused to testify. On 15 December 2008, I gave a full and honest testimony.

The Al-Mulla revenge then started against me and would continue for nine years until I was able to escape Kuwait and was granted asylum in Canada, based on what was being done to me.

Their revenge included using their corrupt influence to have me arrested and imprisoned for months at a time, without any legal process, and I was beaten and tortured while under arrest. I was not just arrested by the normal police, but by CID and on two occasions by the State Security – the secret intelligence service of the Kuwait government.

On 2nd November 2021 my solicitors, Mr William Julié, submitted formal complaints about what happened to me, to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, in Geneva. These can be found under the “legal action” menu of this page, and where there is a link to the crowdfunding campaign I am launching to assist with my legal fees.

The “Record of Events” menu describes what happened to me.