KUWAIT: MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji said yesterday that a private company is continuing to inspect vehicles at the Abdaly crossing point with Iraq although its contract with the customs department expired a year ago. Turaiji said the disclosure about the company coincided with the busting of a 200-kg hashish haul with a truck coming from Iraq and after it was inspected by the company. The bust was made by detectives after the truck was allowed to enter by the company.

The lawmaker said he learnt that the company is owned by a woman from the ruling family and whose brother is an assistant undersecretary at the interior ministry. The court of appeals upheld a ruling on April 27 ordering the company to vacate the site, adding that the company collected KD 880,000 after the court ruling.

Turaiji said that the director of the customs department told the budgets committee yesterday that he has asked the interior ministry to implement the ruling and evict the company, adding if this is true, the interior minister should launch an investigation into the matter. Head of the budgets committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad said Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh told the committee that work requires the company to continue operating until an alternative is found. Abdulsamad said another company working with the customs department has won damages worth KD 68 million.

Separately, the Anti-Corruption Authority (ACA) has turned over 43 government officials to be investigated for not having filed their financial disclosure in time, said chief of the Authority Abdulrahman Al-Nimesh yesterday. He added that the authority would spare no efforts to determine the delinquency of officials who do not disclose their finances as required by law. He urged all officials that failed to file their financial disclosures to do so promptly so as not to incur legal measures against them. Furthermore, he said the ACA was ready to assist any officials who might need help in filing their financial disclosure.

By B Izzak