‘Cabinet will take time’

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 28, (KUNA): His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah confirmed that the government’s top priority is fighting corruption and protecting public money, saying that this digital transformation in governmental work helps combating corruption. “The government has submitted 87 notices regarding public money to Kuwait’s Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), 44 of which have referred it to the Public Prosecution Office,” His Highness the Premier during a meeting with local papers’ editors-in-chief. “The government has also referred 122 cases of misappropriation of public money, in addition to 1691 cases of encroachment on state property and 282 cases of residency trade to the Public Prosecution,” he said.

Data
“We found a number of notes that were referred from the Cabinet to (Nazaha) and are reserved by the authorities due to lack of information data, therefore, the Minister of Justice, with the help of the government have set up a guideline to ensure that everyone is obligated to correct their report before referring it to (Nazaha) and the public prosecution,” he continued.

His Highness said that after the Amiri decree was issued appointing him as Prime Minister that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah instructed me to make all efforts to combat corruption and protect public money. He stated that the Anti-Corruption Convention was signed by Kuwait in 2003 and a decree of an anti-corruption law was issued in 2006 indicating that there are entitlements on Kuwait related to the need to pass ten laws in order to raise Kuwait’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index.

“There are several laws have not been completed in 2006 that are very important, and the government is currently working on seven laws that are pending and waiting to be authorized by the Anti-corruption authority, those seven laws include criminalizing bribery in the private sector, a law prohibiting conflicts of interest, a law of bribery for public employees, and a law on the right to access information in all state institutions, particularly this law was issued after it was approved by Parliament and its executive committees,” he added. On a different front, the premier said that we can overcome the issue of public budget deficit can be solved when cooperation with the Parliament is ideal.

Program
Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Wednesday hoped that the program of the upcoming government could address all pending files and issues that concern citizens. In a speech while meeting with editors-in-chief of local newspapers, Sheikh Sabah Khaled said that forming the cabinet requires more time, adding he will meet with lawmakers, activists, experts and specialists to listen to their views.

The package of laws agreed upon and programs of the government will be discussed with these figures to make successful efforts, he added. Asked about the little number of those who received coronavirus vaccines, Sheikh Sabah Khaled said that “I will not accept dealing with any unsafe and unapproved vaccine from US Food Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority”. He stressed keenness on selecting the most efficient for the government’s leading posts. Choosing officials is a key for many matters, he said, pointing to training to select the most professional for undersecretary or assistant undersecretary posts.