Govt follows Al-Raja’an’s case:

The government of Kuwait is following up with interest the case of former Director General of the Public Institute for Social Security Fahd Al-Raja’an who is under house arrest in the United Kingdom, reports Al-Rai daily.

Al-Raja’an is accused of embezzling public money believed to be hundreds of millions of dollars when he was in charge of the institute and has since been found guilty by the courts in Kuwait and has been sentenced to prison term.

Some reliable sources disclosed the defense attorneys on behalf of Raja’an have sought for out of court settlement by promising to return hundreds of millions of dollars to Kuwait.

However, the sources said the Kuwaiti authorities are waiting for the British judiciary to reject the appeal filed by Al-Raja’an and extradite him to Kuwait. Al-Raja’an claims the case against him is politically motivated.

Earlier Kuwait had sought the help of Interpol to arrest Al-Raja’an and bring him back to Kuwait. Kuwait has also signed the extradition treaty with the United Kingdom which will come into force after the ratification by the British Parliament.

However, some sources pointed out the case is still pending before the British judiciary and Al-Raja’an is expected to be extradited immediately after the charges against him have been proven. In the meantime, he is barred from travelling and is not ‘free’ as some believe.