Manama: Senior officials and officers at a Kuwaiti airport have paid dearly for a trail of mistakes and negligence, following an investigation ordered by Interior Minister Shaikh Mohammad Al Khalid.

The probe was carried out after an Asian stowaway was discovered last week hiding inside a private plane about to fly senior officials to Uganda.

The punitive measures included addressing stern warnings to the airport manager and his assistant as well as to security monitoring officers, Kuwaiti daily Al Rai reported on Sunday.

The director of protocol, his assistant and the head of the section were transferred to another location in an administrative measure that could have heavy consequences for their careers, the daily added.

All officers and staff tasked with the security of the area at the time of the unprecedented incident were also subjected to salary cuts for their negligence and failure to live up to their responsibilities.

The punishment measures will also affect their chances for promotion, particularly those who hold high positions, sources told the daily.

“The security institution is equally keen on rewarding hard-working and diligent staff and on punishing negligence and failure,” the minister said on Thursday as he inspected a special force camp.

On ordering the investigation, Shaikh Mohammad stressed the need to be very strict with everyone being probed, regardless of how high their ranks or positions are, the general directorate for relations and security media said in a statement.

The probe sought to determine exactly how the incident happened and to identify deficiencies that allowed the Asian man to board the plane parked near the VIP hall at the Emiri airport where security is at the highest levels.

The plane was taking the interior ministry undersecretary Sulaiman Al Fahd and a high-profile security delegation to Uganda where they were to attend the 84th general assembly of the International Police (Interpol).

When the stowaway was asked who he was and why he was hiding, he said that he wanted to migrate to the US and that boarding the plane secretly would help him achieve his objective.

The pilot contacted the control tower and informed them that he wanted to abort the take-off and that he needed to turn back to fix an issue.

The stowaway was referred to the security authorities and the plane was able to take off after half an hour.