Queries on ballooning MP deposit accounts

This news has been read 12126 times!

KUWAIT CITY, June 21: MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji asked Minister of Finance and State Minister for Economic and Investment Affairs Abdulwahab Al-Rashead about four incumbent MPs whose bank deposits have increased remarkably according to the latest report of the auditing office of a local bank. He stressed the need for the Financial Control Department at the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) to take action as per Article 16 of Anti-Money Laundering Law number 106/2013. He emphasized the importance of protecting public funds, which should be on top of the priorities of concerned authorities. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ahmed Al-Shuhoumi forwarded queries to Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Ali Al-Mudaf about the overseas forums, conferences and other activities that the ministry’s staff attended personally or through video conferencing from Jan 1, 2021 till date.

He requested for a detailed report stating the events, host countries, topics, dates, members of delegations, period of stay in countries where the delegations attended events, decisions on forming the delegations, regulations and criteria for nominating members of delegations, individuals nominated to join delegations several times if any, budget allocated for this purpose, cost of every event, if there is a department or committee tasked to evaluate participation in overseas events and then decide which one is worthy of participation, regulations governing the work of such department or committee if the answer is in the affirmative, who takes a decision on participation in overseas events if there is no such department or committee, if the ministry declined any invitation to these events, reasons for declining if the answer is yes and list of such events. Meanwhile, the sit-in of MPs in the Assembly building continued for the seventh day on Tuesday, while former MP Walid Al-Jeri delivered a speech in the diwaniya of MP Mehalhal Al-Mudaf on Monday affirming his support for the sit-in. He said the protesters are conveying the message of the people of Kuwait while portraying an honorable image that deserves the appreciation and respect of all civilized nations.

Addressing the protesters, Al Jeri stressed: “You echo the voices of the founding fathers who wrote the Constitution which should be enforced, not kept in the shelf. The Constitution was targeted directly through the 1976 and 1986 coup, and indirectly by helping some individuals to win parliamentary elections in order to support the government instead of serving as representatives of the people. Attempts to violate and target the Constitution started even before its drafting and these attempts have not stopped.”

He pointed out the people sent a very clear message on Dec 5, 2020; but the government did not read the message well. He said the government used the processing of citizens’ transactions as a weapon to buy the loyalty of MPs despite the fact that the speedy and smooth processing of transactions without the need for a mediator (‘wasta’) are the absolute rights of citizens. He asserted this spoiled weapon was fired at the citizens’ chests and reflected negatively on the nation. He added that corruption has reached an unprecedented level, including some judges and security institutions; indicating the government has not filed any corruption cases, except the case that Dr Fahd Al-Rashed filed against former Chairman of the Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) Fahd Al-Rajaan. Commenting on the calls for special sessions to approve the State budget, Al-Jeri argued this is not an urgent issue. A new government with full authority is needed to approve the State budget, because it is responsible for the implementation of this budget and it should be questioned if the need arises.

The resigned government is no longer required to go to the Assembly building, considering 26 MPs voted in favor of the no-cooperation motion against the prime minister. Members of such government can attend the sessions, but they should occupy the seats allotted for visitors. Everyone agrees on the legitimacy of the Sabah Family’s leadership, so everyone must agree on the rule of the Constitution, he added. In another development, Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim sent a cable to Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament of Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury to express condolences over the victims of the floods which engulfed the northeastern part of Bangladesh recently while wishing speedy recovery for the injured. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 12126 times!