KUWAIT CITY, Sept 15: In a step highlighting its commitment to reform and safeguarding public funds, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has launched an investigation into the disbursement of salaries to deceased persons, confirming a report first published by Al-Seyassah daily over a year ago, on August 25, 2023, under the headline ‘Salaries for the Dead in Awqaf’, says Al-Seyassah daily. Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Mohammad Al-Wasmi, has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the findings of the Financial Controllers Authority’s second semi-annual report on the ministry’s 2021/2022 budget.

The report revealed that salaries were paid to employees who were no longer employed, including those who had passed away or resigned years ago. According to Al-Seyassah daily, the committee is tasked with scrutinizing attendance and departure records to identify those involved in the forgery and who signed in place of deceased employees. Initial findings suggest that the salaries were not transferred to the deceased’s bank accounts but to other individuals.

Sources indicate that this may involve more than one individual, potentially uncovering a broader network of individuals behind the fraudulent payments. The Financial Controllers Authority had previously confirmed that the Ministry of Awqaf mistakenly disbursed 10.588 million Kuwaiti dinars in salaries between November 2021 and January 2022 to employees who had either died or resigned, a detail originally reported by Al-Seyassah. The ministry had responded at the time by downplaying the issue as isolated incidents that had been addressed.