MP Al-Ghanim queries foreign affairs minister on alleged ‘meetings’

KUWAIT CITY, June 25: MPs Khalid Al-Otaibi, Osama Al-Shaheen, Jarrah Al-Fawzan and Falah bin Jame’e have submitted a bill on amending Constitutional Court Law No. 14/1973. The bill states that the decrees on dissolving the National Assembly, call for fresh parliamentary elections, electing the MPs and specifying constituencies should be referred to the Consultative Chamber at the Constitutional Court upon issuance. It mandates the Constitutional Court to issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the decrees within one week and within 10 days for the bills.

MP Muhammad Al-Hewaila submitted a bill on amending Civil Service Law No. 15/1979 to add an article allowing public sector officials to complete their higher studies while working. He suggested that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) shall issue the executive regulations, specifying the conditions and requirements.

MPs Adel Al-Damkhi, Hamad Al-Medlej, Abdulkareem Al-Kandari, Muhammad Al- Mutair and Mubarak Al-Tasha submitted a bill on establishing the national fund that will deal with the consequences of real estate fraud. According to the bill, the fund will be affiliated to the Council of Ministers and its tasks include determining the damages suffered by real estate fraud victims due to the exhibitions held from 2003 to 2017.

The fund must complete the task within three years maximum. The Board of Directors will be appointed to manage the fund, while the Council of Ministers shall specify the salaries of the chairman and members. The fund will form committees to conduct researches on the cases that will be submitted by the victims and present reports on each of them. The reports will be referred to a judicial committee formed by the Council of Ministers to review the reports and calculate the amount of compensation for each case.

The fund shall inform the Ministry of Finance about the decisions of the judicial committee to provide the specified compensation; which should not exceed KD400,000. In case the compensation is more than KD400,000; the fund will pay 70 percent of the excess amount. Once the compensation is paid, the Ministry of Finance will replace the beneficiaries or their inheritors; such that it will file lawsuits against the erring real estate companies to recover the compensation through court rulings.

Meanwhile, MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim released a press statement; enumerating the bills he has submitted so far. One of these bills stipulates adding a new clause to Article Two of Law No. 35/1962, stating that the disqualification of a candidate for offending HH the Amir is not applicable if the crime is committed before the enforcement of this legislation — whether the court ruling is issued earlier or later.

He also proposed adding an article to the above mentioned law, stating that the number of parliamentary election winners in each constituency must be 20 percent of the total number of voters regardless of gender. He explained this will prevent attempts to specify the quota for women, stressing this is unconstitutional. He submitted a bill on the strategic alternative to the salary scale, disclosing former MP Khalil Abul previously presented the same proposal. He said the bill stipulates increasing the salaries of almost 90 percent of nationals working in the public sector. He submitted a bill, previously presented by former MP Nasser Al-Dousari, on increasing the allowance of university students. He clarified that he amended By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff