MoH official investigated over profiteering suspicions

Dr Bader Al-Essa

KUWAIT: Kuwait Society for Education Quality (KSEQ) said that statements made by the former minister of education and higher education Dr Bader Al-Essa, in which he claimed that 400 Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) officials have fake degrees, were very serious. The society added that Essa said that the 400 fake degrees were discovered through an investigation conducted by a National Assembly committee, and wondered why the concerned teaching staff members were neither suspended nor prosecuted. KSEQ urged lawmakers to live up to their responsibilities and conduct a wide scale investigation on the matter. It also urged Essa to submit the information he had to the public prosecutor and the Public Anticorruption Authority.

Official questioned

The Ministry of Health (MoH) referred a pharmaceutical official at a health zone to investigation over violations she had committed in dealing with supplying companies. According to the accusations, the official asked some of the companies in question to dispatch her and other female employees abroad at the companies' expense and asking other companies to purchase TVs and laptops for her and for other employees. Informed sources said MoH's legal affairs department immediately investigated the matter as circulated over social media and summoned the official for investigation. Notably, social media reports showed letters signed by the official asking the companies to facilitate the travel of a list of employees to attend scientific conferences, provided they stay in five-star hotels and fly business class. Another letter signed by the same employee asked a company to provide a TV, a MacBook and an iPad.

KD 271 million

The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) informed the finance ministry that it needs KD 271 million this month to be spent on salaries, services and capital expenses. In a different concern, MEW's assistant undersecretary for water operation and maintenance Khalifa Al-Feraij said the ministry is about to launch the first conservation forum due to be held under auspices of Minister Essam Al-Marzouq on Dec 6-7.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi and A Saleh