His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah

KUWAIT: Opposition MP Abdulwahab Al-Haroun threatened yesterday to grill His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah over what he claimed spending KD. 3.8 billion without proper records showing where and how they were spent.

Babtain gave the prime minister until the start of the next national assembly term in October to explain where the funds have gone and show physical legal proof of where they spent. The lawmaker said the funds were spent in previous fiscal years and not in the current fiscal year and regretted that the previous assemblies did not take action over the issue. He said that the issue was raised by MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri and Riyadh Al-Adasani during their grilling of the prime minister several weeks ago which passed without filing a non-cooperation motion.

Babtain warned that if the government fails to provide legal justification for the spending of the huge sums, he plans to hold those responsible accountable for what they committed. He said that if the government does not provide the justifications "I declare it frankly that we will grill the prime minister" in the next assembly term and that he will continue to reject the state budget and final accounts until the legal justification is provided. Babtain said that no one is shielded against questioning and that the opposition plans to grill any minister responsible for the spending of the funds.

In a related development, opposition MP Al-Humaidi Al-Subaiei said that five grilling are in the pipeline for the next assembly term, but he did not specify who will be grilled. He said that no "sovereign ministers" are shielded against questioning and that MPs will hold ministers to account even after they resign.

He called on the government to carry out necessary reforms in some faulty places adding that lawmakers need ministers who can carry out reforms. Subaie also vowed to strike against corruption in the ministries of oil and electricity and water. Both ministries are run by Essam Al-Marzouk.