Adasani vows to pursue major 'corruption' cases

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani

KUWAIT: Opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani said yesterday he will file to grill Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Adel Al-Khorafi at the start of the next term starting October, insisting that his appointment is unconstitutional. Adasani and MP Abdulkarim Al-Kandari had grilled Khorafi over alleged violations in the previous term but they did not gather sufficient support to file a no-confidence motion against him.

The lawmaker described his appointment as "politically suspicious", adding the minister does not have any real work to do. Adasani also warned that if the next grilling fails to oust the minister, he will continue to grill him unless the government does not dismiss him. He recalled that in the previous term, he addressed a question to the prime minister and Khorafi sent a response stating that the question was not in line with the constitution, "although the question was legitimate and in line with the constitution".

The lawmaker said he will continue to press for legal action against a number of major suspected corruption cases like suspected money laundering at the Olympic Council of Asia, which is based in Kuwait. He said the issue has already been sent to the public prosecution for legal action, adding that it is illogical that the dealings of one official amounted to KD 12 million and KD 6 million by another.

He also said the National Assembly pressed action against the inflated hospitality expenditures of the interior ministry and case has also been referred to the public prosecution. He said that such expenditures amounted to only KD 2 million a year, but in the previous two years, swelled to KD 33 million. He said those suspected of being involved in the case have been suspended pending legal action.

Adasani said an investigation has been launched by the Audit Bureau into allegations that the Cabinet was giving funds to lawmakers, saying that if proven, the case amounts to bribery. He also said that he will continue to monitor developments regarding violations committed in the distribution of agricultural land to some people, in violation of the law.

Separately, Director-General of the Public Authority for Sports (PAS) Humoud Fulaiteh yesterday said a PAS delegation held a very positive meeting with officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Tuesday. In a statement by PAS, Fulaiteh, who is heading the Kuwaiti delegation in Switzerland, affirmed there was an agreement between the authority and IOC officials on "all topics that would lift the ban on the Kuwaiti sports permanently". The statement quoted Fulaiteh as saying that execution of the agreed-upon "roadmap" would begin next week, hoping there would be no intervention "from other parties to obstruct" the process.

By B Izzak