KUWAIT: The national assembly public funds committee yesterday decided to recommend to refer an investigation into the payment of the large penalty to US Dow Chemical to the public prosecution.

Head of the committee MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji said the report on the issue includes recommendations to convict a number of officials at the state-owned Petrochemicals Industries Co. (PIC).

The committee had been asked to investigate why Kuwait allegedly rushed the payment of the huge $2.2 billion penalty to Dow for unilaterally scrapping a multi-billion-dollar joint venture in late 2008. The International Chamber of Commerce had ruled in favor of Dow and ordered Kuwait to pay the hefty fine. A number of MPs had called on authorities to challenge the decision and delay the payment until the challenge had been heard. But those MPs said that authorities rushed the payment and called for a probe into the whole affair.

The recommendation must be accepted by the national assembly in order to be effective. The assembly is due to open its new term on October 27. Turaiji said the voting on the report was unanimous. He also said that the committee voted to refer another issue related to state investments in a private company to the public prosecution for legal investigation. The lawmaker said the committee, however, delayed its decision on the suspicious sale of buildings held by Kuwait investments in London.

In the meantime, MP Turaiji yesterday called on Oil Minister Ali Al-Omair to investigate reports about 70 Kuwaiti employees being laid off from the Kuwait Gulf Oil Co. which is responsible for the oil operations at the neutral zone with Saudi Arabia.

Turaiji said the dismissal of the Kuwait employees is unacceptable and unjustified even if the oil operations in the neutral zone had been halted over a row with Saudi Arabia, adding that the employees are not responsible for the stoppage and they should not be penalized. The lawmaker said that the oil minister is supposed to resolve the problem and the sufferings of the employees who have been laid off and others who are waiting their turn. He also said the oil minister must explain the issue and should take measures to prevent harm to dozens of Kuwaiti families.

In other news, the public prosecution yesterday released former Islamist MP Khaled Al-Sultan on a KD 2,000 bail after interrogating him over remarks he made regarding judges. Sultan had criticized a decision by the criminal court to hold the hearings of the Iran-linked cell behind closed doors.