By B Izzak

KUWAIT: MP Mohammad Hayef yesterday asked Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh over reports that a number of MPs have mediated to secure the release of people suspected of visa trading. The lawmaker asked the minister if any MPs have tried to mediate for visa traders or obstructed the interior ministry's plans to refer such cases to the public prosecution. If the reports are true, Hayef demanded names of these lawmakers and names of suspected visa traders they attempted to help.

National Assembly Speaker Marzouk Al-Ghanem on Sunday spoke about reports that some MPs may have mediated for visa traders and demanded that the interior minister send an official letter to him stating the names of such MPs. He promised he will announce their names during an Assembly session.

But Hayef said the speaker should have instead sent a parliamentary question to the minister inquiring about the reports that some MPs have mediated for suspected visa traders who are either being interrogated at the interior ministry or have already been referred to the public prosecution. Hayef said the issue has now reached the media and all MPs are under suspicion, and to clear this, Saleh should reply to the question.

Meanwhile, the speaker and lawmakers plan to meet the foreign minister and minister of social affairs to discuss the issue of thousands of expat workers whose countries have so far refused to take them back and also discuss the population structure file. This comes after interior ministry authorities said that more than 17,700 expat workers who were living illegally in Kuwait have benefited from a month-long amnesty to go back home.

But only 2,000 people, all of them Filipinos, have left for their country, while 15,700 others, mostly Indians, Egyptians and Bangladeshis, are living in shelters set up by authorities because their countries said they are not ready to take them back. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah expected on Monday that these countries will take their nationals very soon, but he did not set a date.

Speaker Ghanem said yesterday that an informal meeting by MPs decided that a session should be held to discuss issues and legislation related to the coronavirus crisis. MP Majed Al-Mutairi said MPs agreed to hold a session within the next two weeks and Assembly panels will meet next week to finalize the issues and legislation to be debated and approved by the Assembly. MP Ahmad Al-Fadhl said MPs agreed to give priority to legislation linked to the coronavirus like the population structure, worker towns, the right to obtain information, bankruptcy and trafficking in persons.