Kuwait ex-PM, speaker cleared in ‘coup plot’

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait – Kuwaiti prosecutors said Wednesday, March 18, they would not press charges against a former prime minister and an ex-parliament speaker over allegations of coup-plotting and corruption.

Public prosecutor Dherar al-Assoussi said in a statement that an investigation had found the accusations against the two former top officials were not supported by evidence.

In April 2014, Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, presented videotapes allegedly showing former premier Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and ex-parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi planning a coup.

The two dignitaries were also accused of establishing contacts with foreign intelligence, money laundering and stealing public funds.

Assoussi said that examination by Kuwaiti security agencies showed that the videotapes were not authentic and had been tampered with.

Sheikh Ahmad insisted at the time that he had secured a Swiss court ruling that the videotapes were genuine and that the voices were those of the former two officials.

Sheikh Nasser, 75, resigned in 2011 after five years in office following massive street protests over allegations that 13 MPs had received millions of dollars in bribes.

Khorafi, a wealthy businessman, was parliament speaker between 1999 and 2011.

The two former officials, who were questioned by the prosecutor, categorically dismissed the accusations and described them as “fabrications and lies”.

Both are nephews of Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The case shook the oil-rich Gulf state, prompting the ruler to call for calm and to let the judiciary investigate.

Opposition groups had called for an international probe and judicial cooperation with Switzerland. – Rappler.com