Lawmaker inquires if Iran is involved in Istanbul assassination

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani

KUWAIT: Opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani yesterday inquired about government measures with regard to corruption allegations in world football FIFA involving Kuwait. The issue unraveled after the head of Guam Football Federation Richard Lai confessed to US interrogators that he received graft worth $850,000 between 2009 and 2014 from a senior member of Kuwait Football Association. The allegations led Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, a leading figure in world sports and in FIFA, to resign from FIFA and also dropped out of the election to the FIFA council scheduled for next week.

Sheikh Ahmad however categorically denied any involvement in the issue and said he will defend himself at any level. In a question to State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, MP Adasani asked about the measures taken by the Kuwaiti government and if it has succeeded in establishing whether the news is authentic. He asked about the expected legal measures the government intends to take in case the allegations are correct against those who might have squandered public funds, distorted the country's image and misused their posts to achieve personal benefits at the expense of public interests.

Adasani asked what would the government do if the allegations were proven to be false and what is the normal procedure taken against those who distort the image of the country. A number of lawmakers have already called for probing the allegations especially their relations to the international sanctions against Kuwaiti sports.

In another development, MP Mohammad Al-Dallal asked the Foreign Minister if Iran was involved in the assassination of Kuwaiti businessman Mohammad Al-Shellahi who was gunned down in Istanbul on Saturday along with an Iranian personality considered to be from the opposition. The lawmaker asked about the official information obtained from the Turkish official sides and the Kuwaiti Embassy in Ankara about the assassination incident.

Dallal queried if Iran is officially involved since the assassinated Iranian is from the opposition. He asked about the diplomatic, political and legal procedures the ministry plans to undertake to follow up the assassination issue and ensure that the culprits are penalized. Several lawmakers have already described the incident as a political crime and called on Kuwaiti authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators.

By B Izzak