Kuwait denies funds theft by top officials
Kuwait City, June 12, 2014
Kuwait’s government has disputed allegations by the opposition that billions of dollars were stolen from public funds by former senior officials, saying documents supporting the claims are fake.
Prominent opposition leader Mussallam Al Barrak told a huge rally in Kuwait City that former senior officials stole around $50 billion from public funds over the past seven years, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
He provided foreign bank accounts and documents showing transfers that he said backed up his allegations.
Prime Minister Shaikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah yesterday told parliament, which demanded a debate on the issue, that Al Barrak’s claims were unsubstantiated.
“I received the documents. They were simple white sheets containing tables (of figures) and they do not qualify even to be examined,” the premier said.
Finance Minister Anas Al Saleh said the documents were no more than tables of figures which could not be properly investigated as they lacked crucial details.
“The documents show huge amounts but are without sources or dates. The central bank governor agreed to this assessment,” Saleh told MPs.
Parliament speaker Marzouk Al Ghanem too alleged that the documents were fake. - TradeArabia News Service
