Kuwait: Prime suspect in graft case barred from travel

Cairo: Kuwaiti authorities have barred the prime suspect in a high-profile corruption case from leaving the country, Al Qabas newspaper reported, citing an official source.

The man, son of an ex-senior Kuwaiti official, is suspected of links to the case dubbed in the media as the “Malaysian Fund” scam.

Kuwait’s Central Bank has filed three legal reports with the Financial Investigations Unit over a purported bloated account of the suspect reaching 1 billion dollars over the past three years; the paper quoted well-informed sources as saying.

Last month, the Kuwaiti government referred deals related to the case to public prosecutions over suspicions of breaching laws against money laundering and terrorism financing.

The case has riveted media attention in Kuwait and prompted massive investigations. It is reportedly related to a tainted project outside Kuwait with alleged involvement from companies operating in Kuwait, government bodies and the previous Malaysian government.

On Wednesday, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled vowed that no one, whatever his social standing, who is found guilty of corruption will get away with it.