Draft lacks teeth: MP
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26: Veteran MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun rejected the anti-corruption draft law decided by the Cabinet on Sunday that stipulates the formation of an anti-corruption public authority.
Although the bill proposes the formation of an independent commission to take charge of fighting the various forms of corruption, divulging the financial assets and the tracking down of offenders, Al-Saadoun said that draft law must include retrospective financial disclosure for it to be accepted by opposition MPs.
He also stated that the appointment of commission members must also be approved by the National Assembly apart from the government.
Al-Saadoun expressed his hopes that the Legal and Legislative Committee will include opposition MPs' proposal to include financial disclosure with the additional amendments to the anti-corruption law and finalize its report. He added that the law must also be completed with the international anti-corruption convention signed by Kuwait.
"We also refuse the appointment of the seven or nine board of trustees of the commission directly by the government. The members must work at the commission exclusively, their appointment should be from within the parliament and their CVs circulated so that their integrity and competence is recognized. We are studying further appointment criteria," he explained.
Al-Saadoun also revealed that another proposal has been submitted concerning the prevention of money laundering. It stipulates that the public prosecution can request an individual for the financial disclosure of his local and foreign accounts in cases referred by banks.
"The current period is enough for the Legal and Legislative Committee to finalize its reports. If the government does not include former and current financial disclosure of accounts and appointment procedures in the way we see fit, then we will oppose the bill and reject it," he stated.
Furthermore, Al-Saadoun disapproved the government's request for a study of salary increments by the concerned authorities. He said there salary schedules of Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti employees within various governmental institutions, especially the Ministry of Justice, are full of errors and should be corrected.
Meanwhile, MPs Ahmed Al-Saadoun, Khaled Al-Tahous, Musallam Al-Barrak as well as Ali Al-Deqbasi submitted a proposal suggesting that foreign visitors to Kuwait be treated when entering the state the same as Kuwaiti citizens are treated in their respective countries.
In the explanatory note, the MPs explained that a number of foreign countries have enforced strict entry procedures to those from certain countries after the events of Sept 11 in 2001. They said that these countries have enforced on the Kuwaiti citizens these procedures, such as finger printing, before issuing them visas and allowing them entry. Therefore, the MPs added, it is fitting that Kuwait treat the citizens of those countries the same.
Moreover, opposition MP Daifallah Buramiyah threatened the Minister of Communications with a grilling request for failing to answer parliamentary inquires concerning Al-Jazeera Airways and suspicions of misuse of public funds. He said the questions were forwarded four months earlier and that he will consider that the minister is covering up irregularities in public funds if he continues declining to answer his questions as soon as possible.
© Arab Times 2011
