26 Kuwaiti officials referred to court on graft charges

By Mohamed Abdul Ghaffar

KUWAIT CITY (AA) - Kuwait's public prosecutor has referred 26 people to a criminal court, including current and former Interior Ministry officials, to face corruption charges.

According to a Wednesday statement released by the prosecutor's office, the alleged acts of corruption occurred in the period between early 2014 and late 2016.

Attorney-General Dirar al-Assousi "has appointed a team of anti-corruption investigators to look into the charges”, the statement read.

In 2016, the Kuwaiti parliament's budget committee opened the case, in which the defendants stand accused of stealing some 33 million Kuwaiti dinars (roughly $100 million) worth of public funds.

Interior Minister Khalid al-Jarrah Al Sabah eventually turned the case over to the public prosecutor's office, leading to the arrest of several top ministry officials.