Corruption issue rocks Kuwait
KUWAIT: Kuwait entered a new period of political turmoil today after opposition MPs filed two motions to oust the prime minister and his interior minister over corruption charges.
Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah and Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled al-Sabah are both senior members of the Al-Sabah ruling family that has been ruling the oil-rich Gulf state for 250 years.
Ten opposition MPs filed on Tuesday a “motion for non-cooperation” against the premier following a marathon closed session.
Sheikh Nasser, the first prime minister to be called to account before parliament since the legislature was introduced in the
Gulf emirate in 1962,
could be ousted if the motion is passed.
“A motion has been officially submitted, and
voting will take place on December 16,” parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi said after the session was reopened to the public.
MPs questioned the prime minister of the emirate for six hours in closed session after voting in favour of closing proceedings to the public.
Sheikh Nasser faced allegations his office misappropriated tens of millions of dinars in the run-up to 2008 elections and that he issued a $700,000 cheque to a former MP last year.
The motion, if passed, would still need to be sent to the emir who decides to either sack the premier, or dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
In the early hours today, 10 other opposition MPs filed a no-confidence motion against the interior minister for providing parliament with false information during an earlier quiz on June 23. The minister will be automatically dismissed if parliament approves the motion in a vote scheduled for next week.
In a day of political drama, parliament also quizzed Minister of Public Works and Municipalities Fadhel Safar over allegations of financial and administrative irregularities.
The prime minister and the two ministers denied any wrongdoing.
Parliament then began questioning Defence Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah, also a member of the ruling family, over allegations of misappropriation of public funds and wrongdoings in arms deals.
A majority of MPs
late yesterday issued
a statement expressing
confidence in the prime minister.
“We affirm our clear and firm position that we will provide confidence for the prime minister to carry out his duties and declare our opposition to the motion against him,” said the statement signed by 30 of parliament’s 50 members.
Only elected MPs who are not cabinet ministers have the right to vote on the motions against the premier and the interior minister. All ministers, whether elected MPs or not, hold ex-officio seats in parliament. For the motion to pass, it requires at least 25 votes.
Kuwait has been rocked by political chaos since early 2006 when Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the ruler, was appointed premier. Since then, parliament has been dissolved three times because of disputes with the government, and Sheikh Nasser has been forced to resign five times.
In June 2008, parliament voted to ask the independent Audit Bureau to investigate allegations of “suspicious” spending of 23 million dinars by the premier’s office in 2007 and in 2008. In February, the cabinet decided to refer the Audit Bureau report to the public prosecutor’s office and is still awaiting the response.
