KUWAIT: The cost of research, studies and consultations paid for by the government during the past five years reached around KD 519 million, distributed as follows: KD 42 million in 2011/2012; KD 134 million in 2012/2013; KD 102 million in 2013/2014; KD 107 million in 2014/2015 and KD 74 million in 2015/2016.

The above-mentioned years agree with the five-year development plan, so the numbers or costs may seem logical compared with the amount of expenditure that was allocated for that plan, yet the result was to the contrary despite the awarding of several projects, major, medium or small. Sources said nearly half of the projects were postponed, which means that some studies need to be updated and what was paid for them is squandering.

They said some of the consultation fees have some profiteering, as a ministry undersecretary said that each minister comes with a team of advisors who we do not know a thing about, and all we know is the numbers paid to them, only to discover that there are some friends among them. A banking source said some studies do not have anything to do with Kuwait, and done by foreign bodies who do not care about our particulars, get their fees and do not ask what is implemented and what is not. — Al-Qabas