KUWAIT CITY, Aug 27: As momentum builds up in the case involving the transfer of millions of dinars into the accounts of some lawmakers, MP Adnan Al-Mutawwa says a law mandating the declaration of assets has become imperative. He urged everyone to coordinate their efforts in forming the law but cautioned against exploiting it to create chaos, reports Al-Moustaqbal daily.

It is worth-mentioning that the number of lawmakers suspected to have received the money has now risen to 12. Al-Mutawwa said everyone would be required to account for his or her deeds before God, and we also owe the people of Kuwait and HH the Amir account of our actions. He opposed the formation of more committees, saying they are a waste of public money and efforts. The lawmaker urged for the prioritizing of agendas even as he warns that the coming parliamentary session will witness lots of interpellations.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary source said the matter has gone beyond being a bribery issue to a national case. He said some lawmakers are preparing to demand the government to provide the bank statements of lawmakers. He also claimed that there have been efforts by some lawmakers to foil the bid for a special session. The source was also disturbed by the unsatisfactory explanation of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) on the issue and its attempt to throw the case at the local banks.

The law obliges banks and MPs to disclose the amount of money in the latter’s accounts and the source of the income, Alam-Alyawm daily quoted professor of public law at Kuwait University’s Faculty of Law Dr Ibrahim Al-Hamoud as saying. “The banks confidentiality law doesn’t hinder the enforcement of law and protection of public funds,” he added.

Al-Hamoud further said the law gives the voters the right to know the cause of the sudden prosperity of their MPs and pointed out that MPs’ bank balances cannot suddenly increase because they were not traders and had, in fact, entered the parliament as ordinary people.

“If the MPs are traders, they have to disclose the nature of this money. If it is political money, they should be tried before the courts because they were elected to supervise the work of the government, not to take money from it,” he said.

In another development, many youth movements, including the ‘Fifth Wall,’ ‘We Want,’ and the ‘Young Islamic Constitutional Movement’ are preparing to launch a popular campaign to fight corruption and condemn unconstitutional and illegal practices, reports Al-Rai daily.

Reportedly, the youth movements will prepare a document in this regard. It will be divided into two parts; on one, the signatures of MPs will be collected and on the other, signatures of citizens supporting the activists’ efforts will be collected.

The youth activists have also called on MPs and ministers to hold an urgent parliament session to discuss corruption and to take necessary steps to combat it.