Jan 21 set to look into appeal on revoking MPs membership

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Speaker holds talks with IPU president

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 16, (KUNA): The Constitutional Court will look into an appeal on Jan 21 regarding its rule of Article 16 of the National Assembly by-law being “unconstitutional”. The verdict stripped MPs of membership, as enclosed in Law 12/1963, along with projected repercussions, said a statement Wednesday. A statement by the Court said that the appeal was tendered by MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei on Jan 1, 2019.

On Dec 19, the National Assembly had rebuffed withdrawing the membership from the MPs, Dr Walid Al-Tabtabaei and Dr Jumaan Al-Harbash, in separate voting on each one’s membership. In the voting on withdrawing the memberships, up to 31 members of the Parliament voted in favor, 29 opposed, along with two absentees, in the session, attended by a total of 62 members.

Stripping
In the voting on stripping Al-Harbash of his membership, 31 members voted in favor, 21 opposed, with two absentees. The Court of Cassation had ruled in favor of amending the appeal verdict, issued on Nov 27, 2017, in the “National Assembly case,” sentencing 13 defendants to three years and six months behind bars – among them MPs Al- Harbash and Al-Tabtabaei. It had also ordered imprisonment of two defendants, abstained from applying a penalty against 34 defendants and acquitted the others.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim held on Tuesday official talks with visiting President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Gabriela Cuevas Barron, and her accompanying delegation. They tackled many issues to be discussed during the upcoming Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference to be held in Qatar, as Barron stressed the importance of working to uniting positions to better serve and solve those issues. The talks were attended by head of the accompanying mission of honor MP Safa Al-Hashim, and MPs Mubarak Al-Herayyes and Ali Al-Degbasi, Parliament’s Secretary-General Allam Al-Kandiri, and Charge d’Affaires at Mexico’s Embassy in Kuwait. Al-Ghanim held a lunch banquet following the meeting, in honor of Barron and her accompanying delegation, with a number of MPs attending. The IPU President and her accompanying delegation arrived in the country ealrier on Sunday in a four-day official visit.

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