MPs ‘finalize’ 12 reduced budgets

This news has been read 5071 times!

KUWAIT CITY, June 2: The parliamentary Budgets and Final Accounts Committee, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, finalized the budgets of 12 independent government agencies after studying them thoroughly, says Committee Chairman MP Adnan AbdulSamad. Disclosing the total budget of these agencies has been reduced by KD 53 million, AbdulSamad confirmed the panel’s approval of the budgets and final accounts of five government institutions — Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), Credit Bank of Kuwait, Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW), Public Authority for Roads and Transportation, and Zakat House. He added the panel rejected the budgets and final accounts of some institutions but urged the concerned ministers to address the comments of the State Audit Bureau and Financial Controllers Agency as a condition for approving their budgets.

He revealed these institutions include Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA), Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA), National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises, and Public Authority for Communications and Information Technology.

He also enumerated the institutions whose budgets and final accounts were rejected outrightly due to the failure of the relevant ministers to fulfill their promise to address the comments of the bureau and Financial Controllers Agency as follows: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait Fund for Economic Development and Public Authority for Industry (PAI). He went on to say the committee postponed approval of the budget of the Public Institution for Social Security because of the constitutional violation found in its final account. He then unveiled the committee’s plan to request for a meeting with the concerned minister to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan has presented queries to Minister of Electricity and Water Ahmad Al-Jassar on the contract for supplies, installation, operation and maintenance of Doha Desalination Station as its value is more than double the amount approved previously by the Central Tenders Committee (CTC).

He explained the Ministry of Electricity and Water signed a contract with an international company — Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction — to implement the project at a cost of KD 116,690,300. He pointed out that Assistant Undersecretary for Power Plants and Water Distillation Projects Eyad Al- Falah said in a press statement published on December 13, 2015 in a local newspaper that the ministry obtained approval from the CTC to award the project after receiving the bureau’s comments and the cost at the time was only KD54 million.

In view of the above, the lawmaker wants to know the reasons behind the remarkable increase in the cost of the project within less than six months and the owners of the company.

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 5071 times!