28/09/2023
28/09/2023

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 28: A memorandum prepared by the Ministry of Education revealed the existence of 15 cases of squandering of public funds, including 12 pending cases in the ministry, one adjourned by the Public Prosecution, and two for which final rulings were issued.
According to the memorandum, the list of cases includes one related to recording false data in the lists of completed work concerning the implementation of contract No. 40 regarding comprehensive maintenance in preparation for the academic year.
The first accused in the case was sentenced to seven years in jail, imposed a fine of KD 3,000, and dismissed from the job. The second accused was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by deportation from the country. The list includes a case related to the unlawful disbursement of salaries in excess of the required amount to a female employee.
A ruling was issued in absentia to imprison the accused for seven years with hard labor, the confiscation of forged documents in the ministry, and then deportation. Referrals to the Public Prosecution regarding public money issues were based on reports from the Ministry of Education.
Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) submitted a report against the director general of an educational zone after he agreed with the company contracting with the ministry to change the contracted category, even though he is not authorized to do so. This made it impossible for the ministry to impose fines on the contracting company in such a case.
The Public Prosecution decided to file the report, explaining that the pending cases were inside Kuwait, and the Ministry of Education has not received anything from the Public Prosecution indicating that there are pending cases of squandering of the public funds related to it being tried outside the country. On its part, the ministry explained that referring the facts to the Public Prosecution is based on the existence of a suspicion of squandering public funds.
In the event of a decision to preserve it, such suspicion of public funds is excluded. However, in the event of a conviction ruling, the value of the money subject to the squandering is determined according to what is included in the ruling. From its end, the ministry collects and recovers the amounts subject to squandering in accordance with the established legal procedures. The facts that reveal a suspected crime of squandering public funds are referred to the prosecution to take legal and judicial measures in that regard.
By Abdul Rahman Al-Shammari
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff