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Kuwaiti Government’s Disputes Referred to Public Prosecution

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice (court house) in Kuwait City June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice (court house) in Kuwait City June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee
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Kuwaiti Government’s Disputes Referred to Public Prosecution

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice (court house) in Kuwait City June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice (court house) in Kuwait City June 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee

A dispute between members of the Kuwaiti government, who are also leading parts of the ruling family, came into the open Saturday after being referred to the Public Prosecution over the shortcoming of fighting corruption and the misappropriation of public money.

For the first time in Kuwait’s history, the defense and interior ministers clashed in public by issuing statements attacking each other.

On Saturday, reports said that the Sabah family is expected to meet to contain the dispute between resigned Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, caretaker Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and caretaker Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah.

In a statement posted on the army’s Twitter account, Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser said he discovered embezzlements of 240 million Kuwaiti dinars from the Kuwaiti army fund when Sheikh Khaled was the minister.
Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah was the defense minister between 2013 and 2016.

He became an interior minister after the appointment of Sheikh Nasser in late 2017 as a defense minister.

Sheikh Nasser said he had asked the prime minister to take action against the embezzlements.

The Defense Minister said the PM responded by setting an investigation committee to probe the allegations, however, this was not satisfactory to him and accordingly, he sent the issue to the public prosecution.

For his part, the Interior Minister lashed back at the accusations and denied that he committed any financial violation regarding the fund.

Sheikh Khaled said he was ready to stand trial in the Kuwaiti judiciary to prove his innocence for both, the political leadership and the Kuwaiti people.

On Thursday, Kuwait’s Cabinet has resigned after Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak has tendered the government’s resignation to the country’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad. 


“The resignation of the Cabinet was not to give time to allow reshuffling the Cabinet but to avoid answering questions over the graft in the army fund,” Sheikh Nasser said, commenting on the issue.

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Gulf

Qatar Urges 'Good Faith' from Iran as Talks Renew

FILED - 16 January 2024, Switzerland, Davos: FILE PHOTO - Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos. Photo: Jakob Polacsek/World Economic Forum/dpa
FILED - 16 January 2024, Switzerland, Davos: FILE PHOTO - Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos. Photo: Jakob Polacsek/World Economic Forum/dpa
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Qatar Urges 'Good Faith' from Iran as Talks Renew

FILED - 16 January 2024, Switzerland, Davos: FILE PHOTO - Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos. Photo: Jakob Polacsek/World Economic Forum/dpa
FILED - 16 January 2024, Switzerland, Davos: FILE PHOTO - Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos. Photo: Jakob Polacsek/World Economic Forum/dpa

Qatar on Tuesday said Iran must show good faith with its neighbors to prevent further escalation, following renewed efforts to end the US-Iran war.

The comments came a day after senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan held talks with Iran in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting.

Qatari foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi said the region needed a new security framework to prevent further violence.

"The ball is now in Iran's court to commit to these principles and demonstrate good faith," he said.

"We have heard positive statements from the Iranian side... but they still need to demonstrate good faith, stop threatening countries of the region, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz so that all those efforts can go towards having a safe and prosperous region," he added.

Monday's talks in Tehran included Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir and Türkiye's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Iran described them as "very good".

They followed warnings by the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could restart in the eight-month war, which saw Tehran strike US allies in the region including Qatar.

US-Iran mediation efforts have been led by Qatar and Pakistan. A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

Asked for details on the Qatari visit to Tehran, Hashmi said "messages are ongoing and the exchange of ideas continues through the mediators".

Gulf

Kuwait Sentence 3 to Death for Collaborating with Iran, Plotting to Assassinate Interior Minister

Sheikh Hussein Abdullah Al-Matouq and Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sheikh Hussein Abdullah Al-Matouq and Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Kuwait Sentence 3 to Death for Collaborating with Iran, Plotting to Assassinate Interior Minister

Sheikh Hussein Abdullah Al-Matouq and Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sheikh Hussein Abdullah Al-Matouq and Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Kuwaiti Criminal Court, represented by the State Security Circuit, sentenced on Monday three defendants to death and eight others to five years in prison, in a case involving espionage for Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah, and plotting to assassinate the Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousuf, along with other state figures.

The court, presided over by Counselor Nasser Al-Badr, convicted Sheikh Hussein Abdullah Al-Matouq, Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh and Abdulreza Haidar Dehqani, an Iranian national, with harming Kuwait's national interests, spying for foreign entities, and joining the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendants with committing acts that would undermine the independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the country, as well as seeking and communicating with Iran and Hezbollah to carry out hostile acts against Kuwait, which included plotting to assassinate the Minister of Interior and other leading figures.

Case documents revealed that remaining defendants held meetings to plan the assassination and assigned roles among themselves. An eleventh defendant was tasked with providing the necessary equipment to execute the plot, acting under instructions from the first three defendants who received death sentences.

The court stressed that "national security is not the interest of an individual or a faction, but a right of society as a whole," adding that state sovereignty cannot be contested by a foreign power.

Gulf

Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Chinese President over Earthquake Victims in Xizang

Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
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Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Chinese President over Earthquake Victims in Xizang

Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo

Saudi Arabia’s leadership sent cables of condolence to China following the earthquake that struck Baqen County in the Xizang Autonomous Region, expressing sympathy over the loss of lives.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a cable of condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing his deepest sympathies to the president, the families of the victims, and the Chinese people over the deaths, injuries, and missing persons resulting from the earthquake. He also wished for the safe return of those missing and a speedy recovery for the injured.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also sent a cable to President Xi Jinping, conveying his heartfelt condolences and wishing for the safe return of those missing and a swift recovery for the injured.