MP intensifies probe on public fund thefts and embezzlement

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 23: The new government, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, has received the first parliamentary questions addressed to its members who, as per the regulation, will not be obligated to respond before the new ministers among them take the constitutional oath in the National Assembly on Feb 6. A total of nine questions were officially referred to the government.

MP Badr Nashmi asked Minister of Social, Family and Childhood Affairs and acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Firas Al-Malik about the crimes of embezzlement of officially documented public funds in cooperative societies since the beginning of 2014, measures taken and the number of cases filed against expatriates accused of theft and embezzlement. Nashmi cited the repeated theft in many cooperative societies by what he described as “weak souled expatriates” and their escape with the stolen money outside the country, stressing the necessity of confronting these thefts, which demonstrate the weakness of the supervisory and financial roles of State agencies. He also underscored the need to stop the wastage of public money and to protect the shareholders’ money.

He pointed out that “public money has a sanctity which requires preserving everything in the interest of the nation and the citizens. Allah Almighty has vowed to impose severe punishment for anyone who unlawfully takes public money. Therefore, we must preserve and protect public money. We must pursue those who steal it by taking sound and firm measures, tracking the movement of the looted money outside the country, and recovering it through legal and political means and other means followed internationally.”

He asserted that the country recently witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of embezzlement, theft, and misappropriation of public funds crimes in many institutions, government agencies, and companies. He said the problem has been exacerbated in the absence of deterrence and many of the accused have not been punished despite the multiplicity of regulatory bodies in the country. He requested for detailed report on the crimes of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds officially documented in cooperative societies since the beginning of 2014 for each cooperative society and each year separately, including the amounts of stolen money, nationality of the accused and those convicted in these crimes, and their job descriptions.

He inquired about the measures taken by cooperative societies that witnessed crimes of embezzlement and theft, whether a report on these crimes was submitted to the Public Prosecution, several cases filed by the boards of directors of cooperative societies against expatriates accused of crimes of theft and embezzlement of shareholders’ funds, and the mechanism followed by the Ministry of Social Affairs to recover the funds stolen from cooperatives. He wondered: How a person, who has custody of public money, could leave the country without clearing his responsibility before leaving for any reason? How much is the total value of the stolen funds? Has any of this money been recovered since 2014 and have investigation committees been formed in cooperative societies?

MP Hamad Al-Matar asked the same minister about the Jaber Bridge North Island Project, while MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim asked HH the Prime Minister about the secret special expenses item that was allocated to His Highness’s Office in the budget of the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers for the two fiscal years (2022/2023 and 2023/2024). MP Shuaib Shaaban asked Minister of Education Dr Adel Al-Adwani about the specialized committee in charge of the separation of the applied education sector from the training sector in the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). MP Mubarak Al-Hajraf asked Finance Minister Anwar Al-Mudhaf on whether or not the Insurance Corporation granted large loans to some people or companies. MP Fahd bin Jamea to Minister asked Health Minister Ahmed Al- Awadhi to submit copies of the curricula vitae of some officials in his ministry and the mechanism for filling up vacant supervisory positions.

MP Badr Nashmi also referred queries to the Minister of Defense and acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef about the value of the deficit in the annual budget of the Ministry of Interior since fiscal 2020/2021, the deficit is expected to be recorded in the current fiscal year, plans to rationalize expenditures and delay in promoting graduates of the ninth batch of specialized officers from the rank of captain to the rank of major. MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri asked Minister of Commerce Hamad Al-Joaan if his ministry could form a transitional committee immediately after the publication of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry Law number 122/2023 to undertake the work of the Board of Directors until a new board is elected. Meanwhile, the Disabled Affairs Committee on Tuesday met with Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Anwar Ali Al-Mudhaf; as well as the representatives of the Public Authority for Disabled Affairs (PADA), Legal Advice and Legislation Department, and Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS).

They discussed the points that prompted the government to return the ratified bill on amending Disabled Affairs Law number 8/2010 to the Assembly as per decree number 229/2023. Chairman of the committee MP Saud Al-Asfour disclosed that the objective of the meeting is for the two sides to compromise; such that the bill is acceptable for the government while guaranteeing the privileges allocated for the disabled. He said the committee asked the Ministry of Finance and PIFSS to submit a joint report stating their views and vision on the acceptable amendment within a few weeks. He added the committee will then discuss this report and submit its report to the Assembly for voting. Earlier, the previous government justified its decision to return the bill to the Assembly by highlighting the high cost that could exhaust the State budget; as the bill stipulates granting financial privileges to non-Kuwaitis and it is not in line with the PIFSS Law, particularly the stipulated procedures for the retirement of disabled employees and those taking care of relatives with disabilities.

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