KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, testified for the first time on Saturday during a parliamentary committee meeting to probe allegations that his predecessor transferred millions in public funds to private accounts overseas.
The Premier was "very cooperative" in regards to making his testimony under oath and answering all questions asked according to MP Faisal Al-Mislem, committee head.
"HH Sheikh Al-Mubarak gave me his approval to visit his diwan whenever necessary", Al-Mislem said following the meeting, adding that the Premier also promised to visit ministries not cooperating with the investigation.
Sources familiar with the meeting said Sheikh Jaber explained that he gave orders to stop the process by which transfers can be made through verbal orders at his diwan.
The news came out simultaneously with reports that former Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, testified on Thursday at the Court of Ministries in charges filed against him regarding the same case.
According to sources with knowledge of the issue, the former Premier "refuted all allegations by insisting that all transfers were made to serve Kuwait's interests".
Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad is yet to testify to the parliamentary investigations committee, which already filed a request to Parliament head office to extend their work throughout the summer as well as seeking help from the State Audit Bureau.
In other news, the Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) meets today to discuss the grilling motion filed by MP Mohammad Al-Juwaihel against Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, as well as the planned grilling against Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali.
The Majority coalition in Parliament nominated MPs Musallam Al-Barrak and Khalid Al-Tahous from the Popular Action Bloc, and Independent lawmaker Abdurrahman Al-Anjari to jointly file Al-Shamali's grilling. It is almost certain that the debate will end with a vote of confidence through which the 'Majority Bloc' can force the minister out of office.
While two grilling motions have already been debated in the current Parliament, both of them were filed by members of the minority and the Cabinet was eventually able to overcome them. The same is expected to be applied to Al-Juwaihel's motion.
On the other hand, Al-Shamali's grilling is characterized by the fact that it is the first to be filed by the Majority Bloc, thus ending a seemingly unofficial agreement with the Cabinet to give ministers a six month period to work before questioning. However, observers recently pointed out that this agreement became automatically void the moment Al-Shamali was selected back to the Cabinet last February.
Asked about his opinion on the matter, MP Al-Barrak said a cooperation agreement between the two authorities was never in place either way.
"Mustafa Al-Shamali is the one always talking about alleged cooperation (between Parliament and the Cabinet)," the outspoken Opposition lawmaker said.
"True cooperation means providing information to investigation committees instead of only voting for their formation. The Central Bank today is creating barriers that prevent the committee investigating the multimillion-dinar deposits case from getting information from state departments, that received direction not to cooperate", Al-Barrak further explained.
DRB member Falah Al-Sawagh announced that the leading group could soon expand to twelve members "as three MPs expressed their wish to join". The bloc members increased to nine recently after MPs Abdullah Al-Barghash, Mohammad Al-Dallal, Mubarak Al-Waalan, Hamad Al-Mattar and Osama Al-Shaheen joined its original four members of MP Al-Mislem, Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, Dr Jamaan Al-Harbash and Al-Sawagh. The names of the three potential new DRB members were not disclosed by Al-Sawagh, who said on Saturday that an announcement could be made in the very near future.
© Kuwait Times 2012
