KUWAIT: Well-informed parliamentary sources said 26 opposition MPs will hold a meeting next week to discuss MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei's intention to grill His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. The sources added that 10 lawmakers already support Tabtabaei's proposed grilling over the fuel and electricity prices issue, not returning withdrawn citizenships, violations at the premier's Diwan concerning overseas treatment and not executing the development plan.

The sources said MPs Tabtabaei, Mohammed Al-Mutair, Mohammed Hayef and Shuaib Al-Mowaizri would promote the motion and that one of them would probably join Tabtabaei in filing the motion after mid-March. The sources also noted that the group is keen on filing its motion before May, when the constitutional court is expected to pass its sentence pertaining the recent parliamentary election results, as many of them fear the current parliament might be annulled as predicted by some law experts because the government did not appoint any MP as Cabinet member. "The motion will whip up support for the lawmakers before their voters prior to the election verdict," said the sources.

Meanwhile, ministerial sources said the government would refer any grilling motion filed against the Prime Minister to the constitutional court on grounds that he can only be held accountable for the government's general policies, while respective ministers are the one to be held accountable for details like withdrawal of citizenships and fuel and electricity prices.

Violations

Chairman of the parliamentary budgets and final statements committee Adnan Abdulsamad said the committee discussed the ministry of commerce and industry's final statement for the fiscal year 2015-2016 as well as the State Audit Bureau's remarks on it. Abdulsamad stressed that the committee stressed the need to activate the ministry's own auditing. The committee also detected some ministry officials' violation of their authorities and contracting regulations.

First Ring Road

The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) requested the State Audit Bureau's approval of increasing the value of the First Ring Road development contract by KD 2.5 million and to extend its tenure by 465 days because of the adjustments made over fresh and brackish water grid lines. Notably, the project's total cost is KD 32,555,000 and aims at facilitating traffic flows on the First Ring Road.

Private developers

Well-informed sources at the Public Authority for Housing Welfare said the board of directors is currently studying a mechanism to have local and international real estate developers develop land plots in the South Saad Al-Abdullah project. The sources added that the authority plans to link building the houses and distributing the land plots to the project's blueprints. The sources added that the final contract would signed with the winning company next month, and work will begin during the second quarter of 2018.

By A Saleh