KUWAIT CITY, Aug 24: The opposition MPs have called for the resignation of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Kuwait Central Bank (CBK) Governor Sheikh Salem Abdel Aziz Al-Sabah due to their failure to effectively deal with allegations that millions of dinars have been deposited into the accounts of some pro-government lawmakers.

MP Musallam Al-Barrak pointed out the CBK governor has only two options amid the scandal — support Kuwait and its constitution or resign. He was surprised when the governor issued a statement that the banks have not forwarded a lawsuit to the Public Prosecution. He argued such a statement should not come from the governor, who has been mandated by law to supervise banks and financial centers, especially after the Al-Qabas daily published a report that two MPs deposited KD 17 million and KD 8 million respectively in their bank accounts within a short period. “The daily itself noted that a day after the publication of the report, there was no case filed at the Public Prosecution, so what is new in the statement of the governor? We are not talking about the submission of lawsuits here, we demand action in accordance with the law,” he asserted.

Al-Barrak clarified the Public Prosecution is not a criminal investigation department, it will investigate only the cases forwarded to it. “In this situation, there is no other party with the power to present the information and documents, if any, except the Central Bank. The government and the CBK governor should come to terms with the fact that the alleged bribery case is the result of the political crises the country has been witnessing under the seven successive cabinets,” he contended.

Expressing his disappointment on some of his colleagues’ failure to exercise their role in ensuring a bright future for the people, Al-Barrak admitted some lawmakers have nothing in mind but to amass wealth, instead of protecting the interests of the nation and its people. He said the citizens want to know the identities of the MPs implicated in the scandal, as well as those who paid the money. He urged the CBK governor to take the necessary action; otherwise, he should abandon his post.

On the other hand, MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun stressed the need for the government to follow up the case. He threatened to use his constitutional tools to address the issue, adding the prime minister must step down due to his failure to effectively deal with the scandal.

Al-Saadoun added although he appreciates the efforts of the CBK governor, he has yet to fulfill a number of duties like the implementation of Article 15 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law, which he should have done right after the publication of reports on the questionable deposits. He emphasized the need to investigate the transactions of financial institutions in the country because the issue is related to national security.
On the proposed reduction of Internet service fees, Al-Saadoun stressed the State should not bear the cost for the implementation of this proposal. He said the minister of information has announced that he has put pressure on the unlicensed Internet service providers (ISPs) to reduce charges but he wonders if the companies really reduced the rates or the government shouldered the responsibility on their behalf.
Moreover, MP Dr Maasouma Al-Mubarak believes there is no need to hold an emergency parliamentary session to discuss the questionable bank deposits because there is a special body in charge of such cases. She pointed out the Public Prosecution should probe into the allegations.

Commenting on the call of some of her colleagues for the mass resignation of the parliamentarians, Al-Mubarak said this is irrelevant and those who feel they can no longer perform their legislative duties must resign rather than calling for mass resignation or dissolution of the Parliament.

In an unrelated development, member of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee MP Mohammad Hayef said the panel has received calls from some inmates at the Deportation Cell, claiming that the securitymen have beaten them. He added the panel members will visit the cell to look into the complaints of the inmates. He appealed to the ministries of Interior and Justice to end the suffering of the inmates, who have been languishing in prison for several years.

Agencies add:
A number of lawmakers intend to request for an emergency parliamentary session to discuss the alleged involvement of some of their colleagues in the KD 25 million bribery case, reports Al-Shahed daily quoting sources.

Sources revealed the lawmakers are keen on pushing for the approval of draft bills on anti-corruption, assets declaration and protection of those who expose the identities of officials engaged in corrupt activities. Sources said the lawmakers are open to the idea of holding the session behind closed doors in order not to humiliate those implicated in the case. Sources added the government will most probably agree on the closed-door session to prevent the opposition MPs from organizing street demonstrations.
Meanwhile, MP Hassan Jowhar considers the emergency session a historic step and the government must
approve the request, which is in line with the demands of the people.

MP Faisal Al-Muslim asked the government to activate its role in monitoring bank accounts and refer the suspects to the Public Prosecution. He added he and some of his colleagues have started preparing a request to hold the emergency session.

On the other hand, Al-Rai daily has quoted acting Public Prosecutor Dherar Al-Asousi as saying that the banks have been instructed to curb money laundering operations by investigating suspicious transfers and huge amounts of deposits. He said the banks should immediately report such cases to the Public Prosecution for the necessary legal action, and then the investigation unit at the Central Bank should follow up and verify the reports.

In a related development, Al-Watan Arabic daily has reported that the Kuwait Transparency Society (KTS) stressed the need to audit the bank accounts of charity organizations in the country.