Nod to special passports for ex-MPs, retd; officials

Assembly panel extends facilities

KUWAIT CITY, July 17: The parliamentary Interior and Defense Affairs Committee has approved the proposal to grant special passports to former lawmakers and retired officials in the Amiri Diwan, Crown Prince Diwan and Prime Minister’s Diwan to facilitate their movement in various countries considering the sensitivity of the positions they occupied, reports Al-Rai daily.

Several lawmakers submitted the bill which was first referred to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee that endorsed the bill provided it does not contravene the Constitution and laws.

Before referring the bill to its interior and defense affairs counterpart, the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee suggested inclusion of former parliamentarians to be on equal footing with the retired officials from the abovementioned offices.

Bill

The amended bill stipulates adding a new clause to Article 8 of Passports Law No. 11/1962 as the existing law grants special passports only to members of the ruling family, assistant undersecretaries and those occupying higher posts.

Others who hold special passports include members of the Parliament, former ministers, diplomat, Kuwaitis commissioned in the Arab League, diplomatic attachés, those commissioned to work in the United Nations, wives of ruling family, Kuwaiti employees at the Arab League, underage children of MPs, and wives of the other categories together with their underage children who travel with them.

Weapons investigation officers have affirmed there is no suspicion of criminal act in the discovery of eight tons of weapons by Farwaniya investigation officers in Amghara scrapyard, reports Al-Rai daily.

Initial investigations revealed the Ministry of Defense sold the weapons officially to four Iranians through a tender.

It has been reported that Farwaniya investigation officers received information from secret sources about the existence of a huge quantity of old weapons inside a store. They rushed to the location where they found the four Iranians and the weapons.

During interrogation, the Iranians disclosed they purchased the weapons through a tender announced by the Ministry of Defense.