Kuwait Tribunal Closes Ex-PM Graft Probe

A Kuwaiti special judicial tribunal decided on Thursday to end its inquiry into graft allegations against the former prime minister citing a lack of evidence, a lawyer told AFP.

"I was notified this morning by the ministers' trial court that it closed its investigation into the case," said Nawwaf al-Fuzai, who filed the complaint several weeks ago.

The tribunal was investigating allegations that former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmad al-Sabah transferred millions of dollars of public funds into his bank accounts overseas.

The tribunal's finding that there was insufficient evidence to press charges against Sheikh Nasser, a senior member of the ruling Al-Sabah family, does not spell the end of inquiries into his financial affairs.

The graft allegations are still being investigated by a parliamentary commission of inquiry formed in March and the Audit Bureau, the state accounting watchdog.

The head of the parliamentary panel, opposition MP Faisal al-Muslim, said in remarks published by Kuwaiti dailies on Thursday that his committee found that around $313 million had been transferred by Sheikh Nasser when he was premier.

He said that available evidence showed that "part of the money was not used in the public interest."

Kuwaiti media reported last week that the former premier had told the tribunal that "all the transfers were in the service of the interests of Kuwait and contained no personal benefit."