Panel debates measures to combat corruption
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KUWAIT CITY, March 19: The Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee of the National Assembly debated and discussed a set of bills on how to combat corruption in the wake of Kuwait’s decline in global Corruption Perceptions Index.
Committee Chairman MP Mohammed Al-Dallal said after the meeting Sunday members of the committee met with the concerned parties including Minister of Justice, Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr Faleh Al-Azab, representatives of Ant-Corruption Public Authority, Ministry of Justice, the civil society groups, transparency associations, defenders of public money and organization of Kuwaiti parliamentarians against corruption.
Al-Dallal explained the committee members have presented many proposals such as the conflict of interest law to address some issues including the multimillion deposits issue as well as laws on transparency and financial assets disclosure.
Discussing
He said the committee has begun discussing the proposals. He pointed out the Parliament has asked the committee to present its report on anti-corruption laws on April 7, 2017 and in this regard the Committee will get involved in intensive meetings concerning all proposals.
Al-Dallal disclosed the committee has asked all those who attended the meeting to submit their opinions and ideas on these proposals in writing. He pointed out the commission is studying the appeal filed with the Constitutional Court on the role of judges so that it will reflect on the subject. He said the committee is also studying if the topic related to only one or many laws and whether transparency should have an independent body or be placed under another agency and whether the conflict of interest should be part of Anti- Corruption Authority or part of the Penal Code.
Unresolved
He said all these issues remain unresolved. He added the Committee will discuss the pros and cons and look forward to all proposals submitted by members before placing them on the table of the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly during the meeting approved many proposals related to social insurance for retired people and referred the issue to the government.
Committee member MP Saleh Ashour explained the committee has unanimously approved the retirement amendment bill for men and women who can request for retirement only if a woman has completed at least 20 years of service and is not less than 45 years old and not less than 25 years of service and at least 50 years of age for men He disclosed a report will be submitted to the Parliament for approval concerning these amendments.
However, he noted the representatives from the Public Institute for Social Security had some reservations on these amendments. Ashour said the amendments in this regard are almost concerning nine proposals which are almost similar.
Furthermore, the Interior and Defense Affairs Committee during the meeting recommended to refer the proposals on citizenship and the High Court to the Legislative Committee and deferred the proposals for amending the Election Law to next meeting but approved a number of proposals.
Committee Chairman MP Askar Al-Enezi told reporters the Committee discussed proposals concerning the amendment of some provisions of the Amiri Decree No. 15/1985 and Decree Law No. 20/1981 on the establishment of a ‘Circuit’ at the High Court to look into the Administrative Disputes and decided to request the Parliament to refer them to the Legislative Committee. He added the committee had postponed to next meeting proposals to amend certain provisions of Law No. 35/1962 on elections of members of the National Assembly. He explained the committee has approved 40 proposals notably to withdraw the decision to send into retirement 156 public prosecutors and reinstates them in the same jobs. This includes those affected by collective or individual decisions during 2016
By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff
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