By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s legal and legislative committee yesterday decided that a draft law submitted by five MPs proposing a quota system for expatriate communities is in line with the Kuwaiti constitution and laws. The committee decided to refer the bill to the concerned committee that will study all legislation related to expatriates in the country with the aim to cut their numbers.

According to the bill, the largest foreign community in Kuwait - Indians - must not exceed 15 percent of the population of Kuwaitis, who currently stand at 1.45 million. If approved, the law would require some 800,000 Indians to leave the country, which is an impossible task by all means.

The legal committee also decided to lift the immunity of two lawmakers suspected to be involved in the corruption scandal allegedly run by a Bangladeshi MP currently detained in Kuwait.

The two MPs said they asked the committee to lift their immunity so they could be interrogated by the public prosecution in order to clear their names, denying that they had anything to do with the scandal.