KUWAIT CITY: Former Kuwaiti premier Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah yesterday said he was ready to face a probe over alleged coup plot and corruption that rocked the oil-rich Gulf state.
A senior member of the ruling family who left office in November 2011 after nearly six years in office, he and former parliament speaker Jassem Al Khorafi were accused in a lawsuit filed on Monday of major corruption and of plotting a coup.
“Sheikh Nasser is prepared to answer all the points stated in a lawsuit with complete transparency and clarity,” his lawyer, Emad Al Saif, said in a statement.
The suit was filed by Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al Sabah, another senior ruling family member. The two sheikhs are cousins and nephews of the ruler.
Sheikh Nasser, 74, resigned from office after massive street protests over corruption charges that 13 MPs had received millions of dollars in bribes.
Khorafi, a wealthy businessman who was speaker between 1999 and 2011, made no comment yesterday but categorically denied the allegations when the news first surfaced several months ago.
Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah also filed a suit on Monday asking the attorney general to investigate “allegations of money laundering, abuse of public funds and (financial) dealing with Israel,” made by Sheikh Ahmad.
Sheikh Ahmad, a former energy and economy minister, claimed he has videotapes showing the two former senior officials plotting a coup and charged that they also stole tens of billions of dollars of public funds.
The government said in April the videotapes had been tampered with and were not authentic, but Sheikh Ahmad insists they are genuine.
AFP
