Kuwait MP Files to Quiz Premier over Alleged Graft
Kuwaiti MP on Tuesday demanded to question the new prime minister in parliament over corruption allegations which led to the collapse of the last government and dissolution of the house.
Shiite MP Saleh Ashour, a staunch supporter of the former premier, charged that current Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah had failed to take action on two major corruption scandals.
In the first case, about $350 million were allegedly deposited in bank accounts of 12 former MPs and Ashour himself. The opposition charged the funds were bribes to buy their votes on crucial issues.
Kuwait's attorney general interrogated Ashour and the 12 ex-MPs ahead of the February 2 general election on charges of money laundering and freed them on bail pending further investigation.
Ashour in November described as "unconstitutional" a similar grilling filed by the opposition against the former prime minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah.
The other corruption case alleges that Sheikh Nasser transferred hundreds of millions of dollars from public funds into private accounts he held abroad.
Ashour contends the current prime minister has failed to apply the law on the two corruption scandals since coming to power three months ago.
The previous government has denied any wrongdoing, saying Sheikh Nasser had repaid all the sums to the state treasury.
Ashour also wants to question the premier over alleged mistreatment of Shiite clerics, the failure to resolve the decades-old problem of stateless people and for not having presented his cabinet program to parliament.
The grilling can lead to a no-confidence motion that if passed can force the prime minister to resign.
Source: Agence France Presse
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