09 September 2009
KUWAIT: National Assembly speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi yesterday sent a rare written warning to the head and members of an investigation committee for issuing statements before completing the probe and reaching a conclusion. Khorafi said in his warning that the head of the Calcined Coke probe committee MP Saadoun Hammad has been issuing statements to the press indicating as if the probe has been completed although the panel has not submitted its report to the assembly.
The speaker added that publishing such statements clearly violates article 54 of the internal charter which states that issues discussed in sessions held by committees are confidential. Releasing statements on the outcome of the probe before it is complete could signal bias and lack of neutrality on part of the committee and its members and could impact the committee's credibility, Khorafi said.
The speaker said that such behavior is unacceptable and warned that if it continues he would refer the issue to the assembly bureau to disband the committee and end its probe. Over the past two weeks, MP Hammad has repeatedly said that a female lawmaker, the son of an MP and a former MP and his brothers are all involved in the Calcined Coke plant.
He said that the committee will recommend referring the whole issue to the public prosecution for criminal action. The Calcined Coke project was given to a local company by the Kuwait Petroleum Corp in a public auction several years ago. Later, MPs charged that the contract involved irregularities and formed the probe panel.
In the meantime, a number of MPs welcomed the council of ministers decision to delay reopening intermediate and primary schools for a few weeks in the wake of the swine flu virus. The council of ministers decided late Monday night that secondary Arabic schools will start on time on September 27 and that intermediate schools will open on October 4 while primary students will start on October 18. MPs have been urging the government to delay the start of schools in fear of an outbreak of swine flu among students, citing lack of sufficient preparations by the ministries of health and education.
In another development, opposition MP Mussallam Al-Barrak sent a series of questions to the finance minister regarding the central bank action on the Gulf Bank last year when it encountered losses from deals in derivatives. Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has asked the public prosecution on behalf of the government to investigate possible wrongdoings in the deals. Barrak said that following an investigation, the public prosecution decided to shelve the investigation for lack of evidence of wrongdoing.
In his questions, Barrak asked the minister why the central bank has failed to check derivatives deals by the bank through its specialized departments. He also asked if the Gulf Bank has been dealing in derivatives for several years with the prior knowledge of the central bank, and if there had been instructions by the central bank to local banks to ban such deals.
Barrak asked the minister if any of the Gulf Bank board members or top executives or any government officials or employees were involved in derivatives deals. He also asked if there has been any investigation with central bank officials for failure to detect and stop such derivatives deals.
© Kuwait Times 2009
KUWAIT: National Assembly speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi yesterday sent a rare written warning to the head and members of an investigation committee for issuing statements before completing the probe and reaching a conclusion. Khorafi said in his warning that the head of the Calcined Coke probe committee MP Saadoun Hammad has been issuing statements to the press indicating as if the probe has been completed although the panel has not submitted its report to the assembly.
The speaker added that publishing such statements clearly violates article 54 of the internal charter which states that issues discussed in sessions held by committees are confidential. Releasing statements on the outcome of the probe before it is complete could signal bias and lack of neutrality on part of the committee and its members and could impact the committee's credibility, Khorafi said.
The speaker said that such behavior is unacceptable and warned that if it continues he would refer the issue to the assembly bureau to disband the committee and end its probe. Over the past two weeks, MP Hammad has repeatedly said that a female lawmaker, the son of an MP and a former MP and his brothers are all involved in the Calcined Coke plant.
He said that the committee will recommend referring the whole issue to the public prosecution for criminal action. The Calcined Coke project was given to a local company by the Kuwait Petroleum Corp in a public auction several years ago. Later, MPs charged that the contract involved irregularities and formed the probe panel.
In the meantime, a number of MPs welcomed the council of ministers decision to delay reopening intermediate and primary schools for a few weeks in the wake of the swine flu virus. The council of ministers decided late Monday night that secondary Arabic schools will start on time on September 27 and that intermediate schools will open on October 4 while primary students will start on October 18. MPs have been urging the government to delay the start of schools in fear of an outbreak of swine flu among students, citing lack of sufficient preparations by the ministries of health and education.
In another development, opposition MP Mussallam Al-Barrak sent a series of questions to the finance minister regarding the central bank action on the Gulf Bank last year when it encountered losses from deals in derivatives. Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has asked the public prosecution on behalf of the government to investigate possible wrongdoings in the deals. Barrak said that following an investigation, the public prosecution decided to shelve the investigation for lack of evidence of wrongdoing.
In his questions, Barrak asked the minister why the central bank has failed to check derivatives deals by the bank through its specialized departments. He also asked if the Gulf Bank has been dealing in derivatives for several years with the prior knowledge of the central bank, and if there had been instructions by the central bank to local banks to ban such deals.
Barrak asked the minister if any of the Gulf Bank board members or top executives or any government officials or employees were involved in derivatives deals. He also asked if there has been any investigation with central bank officials for failure to detect and stop such derivatives deals.
© Kuwait Times 2009
