A court convicted him of a fraud case.. Ahmed Al-Fahd steps down from the presidency of the Olympic Council of Asia
Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah announced his temporary resignation from the presidency of the Olympic Council of Asia, after a Swiss court convicted him on Friday of a complex fraud case linked to an alleged plot to outwit political rivals in Kuwait.
After hearings spanning more than a week, the Geneva Criminal Court found Al-Fahd guilty and sentenced him to 30 months in prison, suspended for half.
Al-Fahd (58 years old) is considered one of the most influential people on the global sports scene, and in 2009 he held the position of Deputy Prime Minister in Kuwait.
Al-Ahmad said in a statement: "Following the issuance of the guilty verdict today by the Geneva Court in the trial of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah on charges of alleged forgery, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd announced that he will appeal the decision before the Court of Appeal in Geneva."
"Sheikh Ahmed has always maintained his innocence of these charges and is confident that he will clear his name before the Geneva Court of Appeal," he added.
And he concluded, "In the meantime, Sheikh Ahmed decided to temporarily step down from the presidency of the Olympic Council of Asia in order to succeed in appealing today's ruling."
Al-Fahd heads the Olympic Council of Asia, which has been organizing several continental championships, most notably the Asian Games, since July 1991.
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