KUWAIT CITY, Dec 29: MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji has forwarded queries to Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali about the contracts signed with Kay and Associates Inc since 2007 for the maintenance of F-18 aircraft. Al-Turaiji said the company has extended its businesses in different military sections through Kuwait Air Force under direct contracting, away from fair competition.

The lawmaker pointed out that the company prepared draft contracts for various military sections for 10 years to determine their needs and then the company supplies the needed equipment through the Purchase and Armament Department. He added this prompted the concerned departments at the ministry to neglect their duties, such as floating tenders, which ensure fair competition and equal opportunities for all companies.

He wants to know the specialization of the company; number, term and value of contracts signed with the company from 2007 to 2020; mechanism for signing and renewing contracts with the company; if the ministry has corresponded with the USA military office regarding the nomination of other companies since 2009 till date; copies of such correspondences if the answer ‘yes’, and reasons if the answer is ‘no’; number of workers at the company’s headquarters in Kuwait; and number of employees at the consulting company which prepares contracts for the Ministry of Defense.

On the other hand, MP Osama Al-Menawer disclosed that the circulating information about granting privileges to retirees are not true; except the bill he submitted earlier to distribute some of the profits of the Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) to retirees and housewives who are above 50 years old. Al-Menawer said he asked Chairman of Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee MP Khalid Al-Anzi to prioritize the bill to expedite its approval.

He urged his colleagues to support the bill in the interest of retirees. In another development, MP Muhannad Al-Sayer posted on his Twitter account that the Six MPs Block is not represented in the new government. He stressed that assigning a number of MPs as ministers will neither provide political cover for His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid nor protect him from questioning. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff