Bader Al-Dahoum

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The court of cassation yesterday said former leading opposition MP Bader Al-Dahoum, whose election win was nullified, has no right to challenge the constitutional court ruling. Dahoum was disqualified to run in the Dec 5 general polls on the grounds that he was convicted in 2014 in court for insulting HH the Amir. The decision was upheld by the lower court.

But the courts of appeals and cassation overturned the ruling and allowed Dahoum to contest the polls, which he did and won a seat impressively. However, three voters in his constituency challenged his election to the constitutional court, which nullified his election and barred him from contesting polls for life because of his 2014 conviction for insulting HH the Amir.

Dahoum then went back to the cassation court saying that he was allowed to run in polls by the cassation court, whose rulings are final, but later got his election nullified by the constitutional court, which represents a contradiction between the two courts. He demanded that the constitutional court ruling be rectified. But the cassation court yesterday said Dahoum has no right to challenge the constitutional court ruling. Commenting on the outcome, Dahoum said he will continue to fight against "forces of corruption".

Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Roumi meanwhile refused to answer a question by opposition MP Muhalhal Al-Mudhaf, who inquired about the number of final court verdicts issued on cases concerning public funds. Roumi said that the question breaches a ruling by the constitutional court which said that parliamentary questions must ask about specific issues and cases and should not be limitless.