Appointments done through ‘back door’

KUWAIT CITY, July 25: At a time when the government has shown its determination to fight corruption since those who have been accused of embezzling public money and cases of other corrupt officials are being referred to the Public Prosecution on a daily basis, the Inquiry Commission (IC) which has been formed by the National Assembly is said to have revealed the violations and abuses in the oil sector, reports Al- Seyassah daily.

The commission is said to have submitted a report citing losses in billions of dinars as a result of financial and administrative corruption in the sector, as well as what it called the wholesale appointments of sons of senior officials through the ‘back door’ – meaning the employment announcements were not made and the appointees were not subjected to any controls or conditions.

In its report, the commission recommended that a large number of former and current senior influential officials be referred to the Prosecution, suggesting HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled will be held accountable if this recommendation is not implemented.

The head of the commission MP Al-Hamidi Al-Subaie said there was absence of transparency in announcing jobs in the oil sector, there was no one to complain to and that the appointment decisions were uncontrolled. He added those appointed were children of the senior officials and their first degree relatives unconditionally and to make matters worse the vacancies were not made announced.

The commission has recommended that the former CEO of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company and the Deputy CEO for projects in the same company be referred to the Public Prosecution for giving the contractor a certificate stating that what happened during the ‘November 2018 rains’ was caused by what it called force majeure (unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone from fulfilling a contract) which enabled the contractor to win 10 million dinars compensation from the insurance company.

Al-Subaie said the commission also recommended that the former CEO of the International Petroleum Company to the prosecution on suspicion of attempting to harm public funds through the incident of receiving catalysts in the Vietnam refinery after addressing one of the companies individually and trying to contract by direct order.

He pointed out that the Vice-President of the Petroleum Company waived benefits amounting to about $200 million, in addition to cumulative benefits of $300 million without the approval of the concerned institution, the minister and the board of directors, stressing the need to search for a solution to the issue, otherwise the refinery would go bankrupt.