Kuwait’s parliament rejected a no-confidence vote against Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh on Wednesday.
The minister, who also serves as deputy prime minister and minister of state for government affairs, survived the vote after the no-confidence motion was opposed by 35 deputies and supported by 13.
The government appeared satisfied with the measures Saleh has taken in wake of the security recordings case, which led to the suspension of the state security chief and seven officers. The case has also been referred to the general prosecution.
After the renewal of confidence, the minister pledged to “continue to work and do his best to serve the country.”
The questioning of the Interior minister received wide official and popular attention, as media leaks sparked outrage in Kuwait with security officials being suspected of spying on prominent Kuwaiti figures, including lawmakers and journalists.
Saleh pledged to conduct an urgent and speedy investigation, stressing that spying on citizens’ accounts was “a grave violation of the constitution.”
Senior security officials, including the Director-General of the State Security, were suspended from work and referred to the investigation.
On a different note, Kuwait’s Public Prosecutor ordered that the investigation be kept secret in the money laundering case led by an Iranian detainee.
In a statement, the Public Prosecution said the decision was made after reports on the investigations widely circulated in the media, “which seriously offends public and national interests… and severely harms the reputation of the Kuwaiti judiciary.”
The supreme judicial council ordered on Tuesday the suspension of seven judges on charges of money-laundering. They are suspected of cooperating with an Iranian detainee in carrying out their illicit activities. The Iranian man was detained by Kuwait in mid-July. He was arrested along with an Egyptian, Iraqi, and two Kuwaiti nationals during a security raid on the Bnaider neighborhood.
