Kuwait Minister Quits after Accusing MPs over Bribery
Kuwait's electricity and water minister resigned on Monday a day after he indirectly accused some lawmakers of accepting bribes to grill him.
The cabinet promptly accepted the resignation of Abdulaziz al-Ibraheem, who also held the public works ministry, a statement quoted State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah al-Sabah as saying.
The statement gave no reason for the resignation, only saying that State Minister for Housing Affairs Yasser Abdul was appointed acting minister in the portfolios vacated by Ibraheem.
The move however comes a day after Ibraheem was asked by a reporter to comment on a tweet that claimed some lawmakers were paid up to 350,000 dinars ($1.17 million) to question him.
"That's because we fight corruption," said Ibraheem, a long-serving senior employee at the ministry of electricity and water before he was promoted to lead the department in 2012.
That was followed by a statement on Sunday night in which he reiterated his resolve to continue fighting corruption.
His comments sparked an uproar in parliament with many members calling on him to hand in his resignation, which he did on Monday.
At least two lawmakers had announced plans on Sunday to question him in parliament about the comments.
Ibraheem, a 63-year-old engineer, became a cabinet member in July 2012.
Lawmakers questioned him in parliament at least twice on a variety of allegations including administrative violations. But he denied the accusations and survived the grillings.
Kuwait's public prosecution interrogated 13 former MPs in 2011 on allegations they received tens of millions of dollars in bribes to buy their votes in parliament.
But the investigation was shelved because of a legal loophole that prevented their trial.
Source: Agence France Presse
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