KUWAIT CITY, May 14: Members of the parliament’s ‘foreign transfers’ probing committee expressed their chagrin on Monday that the former Prime Minister did not attend a scheduled meeting to testify on allegations of misuse of public funds.

Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah traveled to the UK Sunday to represent HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in a celebration marking the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth ascending the throne. Committee member Abdullatif Al-Ameeri said that “Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah sent a letter of apology for his absence because the case has been dismissed by the Court of Ministers.”
Al-Ameeri explained that the parliament’s investigative committees differs from lawsuits submitted by citizens as they are backed by the Constitution to provide legislative reforms and political accountability.
On his part, MP Faisal Al-Mislem stated that “Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah refused to attend the committee meeting in his letter”. He added the committee invited consultants to reply to the letter’s proponents and another invitation was sent to Sheikh Nasser to attend a meeting May 26.

Proposals
A number of MPs have submitted law amendment proposals Sunday in response to the refusal of officials to attend parliament probing committee meetings, to testify on cases that are under investigation. 

MPs Musallam Al Barrak, Mohammed Al Khalifa, Ali Al Deqbasi, Khaled Tahous and Saifi Al Saifi, submitted a proposal to amend a law regarding the trial of state ministers making it more difficult for the court to dismiss a case.

They further proposed amending the Penal Code so that” “all individuals summoned by the National Assembly investigative committees to give their testimony, but failed to appear without an acceptable reason, or refrained from giving their oath or their testimony, or falsely testified, are punished with a prison term of not more than three month and/or a fine of not more than KD 5,000.”

The addition also stipulates a punishment of not more than six months imprisonment and/or a fine of not more that KD 10,000, if the individual is a public servant and refrained from submitting the documents requested by the probing committees.

Similarly, the lawmakers submitted a third proposal to amend the parliament’s internal regulations to allow the filing of lawsuits by the assembly against those who fail to appear before the assembly’s committees.

On another note, MP Mohammed Al-Kandari stated that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should effectively market and implement the idea of a ‘Gulf Confederation’ between the Gulf nations to combat “the Iranian expansion project”. He said the confederation will “protect the gulf countries from any outside dangers from Iran as well as inside dangers in the form of lackeys of Iran”. 

MP Mohammed Hayef further urged “the establishment of a gulf union with open borders and a unified currency”. He added that those who oppose the union “do not care for the well-being of the gulf and its security”.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the ‘spitting incident’ continued Monday. The parliament’s Secretary-General Alaam Al-Kandari stated that he saw MP Mohammed Al-Juwaihel spit on MP Hamad Al-Matar last Thursday.  “It’s not my habit to interfere in the issues that occur between lawmakers. However, at the request of Al-Juwaihel to testify, just like the rest I have witnessed Al-Juwaihel spit on MP Hamad Al-Matar while at the podium. At that time, I reported to the chair what occurred,” he stated.