KUWAIT CITY, May 11: The Al-Jarida daily has learned that the committee overseeing debtor support, led by Abdulaziz Sari, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs, has put in place certain guidelines and criteria for the inclusion of citizens in the debt payment campaign, which was launched last Ramadan, reports Al-Anba daily. A key decision was made to exclude debtors from telecommunications companies from the campaign, following a legal opinion from the Ministry of Awqaf stating that their inclusion was not permissible, as their debts were considered a form of “luxury” unlike other debts. Consequently, enforceable civil court rulings were issued against them, leading to measures such as salary withholdings, vehicle seizures, and travel bans.

According to sources within the committee, one of their visions is to exclude debtors who benefited from the campaign last year and had their debts paid off. This decision aims to uphold the principle of equal opportunity and ensure broader citizen participation in the campaign. These beneficiaries were individuals sentenced in the year 2022. Additionally, it has been decided that only debts below a certain ceiling, anticipated to range between 5 and 7 thousand dinars, based on the number of debtors registered with the Ministry of Justice, will be eligible for partial disbursement. The sources reiterated that the process for paying off debtors’ debts will not require applicants to visit any government agency, including the Ministry of Affairs, or submit any paperwork or documents. Beneficiaries’ names will automatically be included in the list managed by the General Administration of Implementation at the Ministry of Justice.