A Swiss criminal court convicted Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, a power broker in international sports, of forgery on Friday in a trial over whether he used a bogus Kuwaiti coup plot to gain an advantage over political rivals.
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A member of Kuwait's ruling family and a former OPEC secretary-general, Sheikh Ahmad listened with bowed head and clasped hands as his translator read out the 30-month jail sentence, half of it suspended. He will appeal the verdict.
Sheikh Ahmad had denied all the charges in the case, which has divided the Kuwaiti ruling family and prompted him to step back from some of his public sporting roles, including membership of the International Olympic Committee. He decided on Friday to step down also as president of the Olympic Council of Asia, where he was completing an eighth term.
"I believe I am innocent," he told reporters outside the Geneva courtroom, adding that he was "100%" sure he would return for the appeal. His office later said in a statement that Sheikh Ahmad was "confident" that he would clear his name.
