KUWAIT CITY, April 21: MP Munawer Al-Azmi proposed a draft law that establishes an authority to supervise the administrative departments of state ministries and institutions. This is to fully detect violations and cases of corruption, he said.

Al-Azmi explained that the authority will be led by officials from the judiciary to ensure impartiality, independence and integrity. He said the supervisory authority could replace civil services entities as it will have full jurisdiction over all ministries and their departments. This jurisdiction, however, should not extend to the legislative, judicial and military sectors as well as security matters related to the army, police and National Guard.

The MP added the authority should have the power to access all documents, including confidential papers. It should be entitled to request the suspension of an employee, search homes of staff after obtaining permission from the Attorney General, and conduct workplace inspections with the police.

Al-Azmi further said that supervisory authority may conduct covert surveillance using technical means, but without infringing on personal freedoms and privacy. If violation and corruption is suspected, the authority will then refer all its papers to the specialized investigative units.

Meanwhile, MP Musallam Al-Barrak stated on Saturday that he remains unsatisfied with the responses of Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah on the monetary transfers abroad by the Diwan of former PM Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah. He said he will request another hearing from the ministerial court committee investigating the case, so that he may present the new information obtained.

He said that while some of the minister’s responses were useful, they were incomplete. Al-Barrak added that the minister “intentionally failed to present documents on transactions that took place in 2008, 2009 and 2010.” He said “there were 400 transactions during that time, while the minister said only 100 transactions that took place.”

“His responses admit the existence of transfers to the personal account of Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed, but did not reveal if the amounts were returned or not,” he disclosed.

Al-Barrak said the foreign minister’s replies reveal that there is not connection between the transfers and decisions made by the former Cabinet or orders from the Amiri Diwan.