Grilling against finmin to include transfer of billions of US dollars
Environmental conditions in Kuwait Bay, Jleeb and Sabah Al-Ahmad City discussed
KUWAIT CITY, May 21: MP Riyadh Al-Adasani disclosed that the grilling motion he intends to submit against Minister of Finance Barrak Al-Shitan consists of several points, including the transfer of billions of US dollars from countries in East Asia to Kuwait due to suspicions of money laundering and bribery involving some Kuwaiti officials.
He pointed out the transfer of such a huge amount was done without the supervision of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and in the silence of the government, represented by the Ministry of Finance. He confirmed having in his possession a comprehensive file on this issue, vowing to follow it up through the relevant parliamentary channels.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary Environment Affairs Committee held an online meeting on Wednesday to discuss the environmental conditions in Kuwait Bay, Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Sabah Al-Ahmad City.
Member of the committee MP Abdullah Al-Kandari pointed out this is the first time in the history of the National Assembly to hold an online committee meeting. He said the representatives of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) and Ministry of Public Works (MPW) attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the committee found out that there is a wide gap between the efforts of the officials in the abovementioned institutions and the attitude of the government. He cited as an example the construction of AlGhazali manhole, which was supposed to be done in 2010 to protect Kuwait Bay, but nothing has been done until now.
He revealed the construction of Omm Al-Haiman drainage water treatment plant was suspended by the State Audit Bureau (SAB), yet the government has not taken the necessary procedures to remove obstacles to the implementation of a project that is considered an important facility in a large residential area. He added the government reduced the budget for the development of Kuwait Bay from KD 20 million to KD 4 million.
He said the committee stressed the importance of developing the sewage networks in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh where the infrastructure is in very bad condition due to the absence of development works since it was established more than 50 years ago. He asserted the coronavirus crisis revealed that Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh has become a breeding ground for epidemics, considering its high population density -- more than 350,000.
In another development, MP Osama Al-Shaheen confirmed that the Cabinet decided to double the amount of national labor subsidy for beneficiaries under the fifth item (employers) after consulting the Central Bank of Kuwait governor and other concerned officials. He reiterated the amount that an employer will receive per month is twice the amount he received before the emergence of the coronavirus crisis.
He also affirmed the continuation of the monthly subsidy granted to Kuwaitis working in the private sector. He thanked the government for responding to this suggestion by taking such a decision which greatly contributes to ongoing efforts to protect both the employers and employees, as well as help the employers keep their workers without reducing salaries or terminating their contracts.