Kuwait Court of Cassation principle number 1456

The binding authority of a criminal judgment in a civil action. It does not extend beyond what the criminal judgment necessarily determined for its ruling concerning the occurrence of the act constituting the common basis of the civil and criminal actions, the act’s legal characterization and its attribution to its perpetrator. Example: acquittal of the offence of swindling has no binding authority in a compensation action. The reason: the offence of swindling is not constituted by mere false statements and allegations, but they must be accompanied by outward manifestations inducing the victim to believe in their truth, whereas mere concealment or lying constitutes fraudulent misrepresentation permitting annulment of the contract. Consequently, what the criminal judgment necessarily determined for its ruling relates solely to the criminal action and does not constitute a common basis with the civil action.