KUWAIT: Kuwait Public Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) confirmed that it will follow-up with a human trafficking case currently under investigation in Kuwait, indicating its cooperation with the Public Prosecution, the judicial investigation body responsible for related cases. Nazaha spokesperson Dr Mohammad Buzber said that his authority has started examining all financial disclosure statements, analyzing them, and reviewing all data pertaining to them. He pointed out that they will cooperate with the Public Prosecution as the judicial investigation authority responsible for the case and provide it with any information or data obtained.

Separately, a local report indicated that thousands of residency visa violators have responded to the amnesty decision made in April, which allowed them to leave the country without paying any fines. Around 55,000 were reportedly deported to their countries, a majority of whom were from Egypt, India, and Bangladesh. However, statistics indicate that a larger segment of the  violators had not taken opportunity of the amnesty, and thus, stricter measures will be taken to regulate recruiting expat laborers, their arrival and ensure deporting ‘marginal laborers’.

Further, the government is eying efforts to ‘regulate’ expats’ presence in Kuwait, by introducing tough measures that focus on closing companies that manipulate residency visas, referring them to public prosecution and deporting expats sponsored by them. Notably, 368 flights have left Kuwait since March 16 carrying a total of 110,000 expats back to their home countries, including visitors or those who preferred to return home during the current crisis.