Kuwait prosecutor summons ex-MPs in graft probe
Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:19 GMT
KUWAIT, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Kuwait's public prosecutor has begun questioning former members of parliament over corruption allegations that helped precipitate the Gulf state's deepest political crisis in years, local media and MPs said on Thursday.
Several parliamentarians have now appeared before the prosecutor as part of an investigation into suspiciously large sums deposited in their bank accounts.
Opposition politicians say the deposits, thought to range from hundreds of thousands to millions of Kuwaiti dinars, are bribes paid by cabinet members for MPs' backing, a charge those implicated dismiss as politically motivated.
"For some time now there has been a clear intent from a certain group to hit some parliamentarians," said pro-government ex-MP Saleh Ashour in a statement, after being briefly detained when he refused to post bail of 5,000 dinars ($18,000).
At least a dozen MPs are due to be summoned in connection with the case, which has fuelled popular anger at perceived corruption in the oil-producing state, the media reports said.
Last month, the government resigned after hundreds of Kuwaitis led by opposition deputies stormed parliament in protests against then-Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah, whom they accused of corruption and mismanagement.
The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved parliament soon after that. Under the constitution, a new election should be held within 60 days of the dissolution.
Former pro-government parliamentarian Saadoun Hamad was another of those called in for questioning.
"The sum I was investigated over is 286,000 dinars and I refuted the accusations in full confidence," he said in a statement after being questioned.
Kuwait has long prided itself on having a fully elected parliament with legislative power and lively debate, unique in a region ruled by autocrats who tolerate little if any dissent.
But a long-running standoff between parliament and cabinet has held up reforms and development projects in the world's number six oil exporter, which has just 3.6 million people. ($1 = 0.2776 Kuwaiti dinars) (Reporting by Mahmoud Harbi; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Alistair Lyon)
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