KUWAIT: US mediasources said Kuwait urged the UN to pardon blacklisted Kuwaiti citizens whoseassets are frozen, including Hajjaj Al-Ajmi. According to a Wall Street Journalreport quoting well-informed sources, "loopholes in UN Security Councilsanctions procedures are allowing blacklisted Al-Qaeda and Islamic Stateterrorists and their supporters to tap their bank accounts despite a UN assetfreeze."
The report added that those who had had access to their bank accounts includeQatari Khalifa Al-Subaiei, a terrorist financer whom the US had long agodeclared to be providing financial support to Al-Qaeda leaders, including the9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Subaei was blacklisted in 2008, but theUS has been granting him access to $10,000 monthly for his basic needs.
Further, the report also shows the UN Security Council approved 71 out of 72requests made by blacklisted financers in 2008 and 2018 to have access to theirbank accounts. In addition, the report stressed that although, according to UNsanctions, blacklisted terrorist are not allowed any access to their assets andbank accounts, a loophole in the sanctions policy allows their home countriesto apply for exemptions to give them access to small amounts of money for dailybasic needs.
Expats' contracts
The Ministry of Education (MoE) plans to cancel the posts of special educationsupervisors in various educational areas because they had been appointed withoutCivil Service Commission (CSC) approval, said informed sources, noting that thecancellation decision is due to be signed within a few days and that the sixsupervisors will then return to their old posts.
Meanwhile, a delay in terminating the contracts of expat teachers andadministrative staff members has resulted in speculations, rumors and optimismthat the ministry will change its mind and halt the process for this year.However, official MoE sources stressed that the ministry is keen on implementingCSC instructions concerning replacing expats with citizens and that lists hadalready been prepared and signed pending the minister's final approval tosubmitted to the laid off personnel.
Imams' residence
The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs refused to allocate specialresidences for imams and muezzins outside residential areas, said the managerof the ministry's engineering department Salah Al-Shallahi in response to aproposal made by municipal councilmember Abdul Aziz Al-Mojel. Shalahi justifiedthe rejection by the fact that both clerics have to reside close to mosques tolead prayers five times daily. They also do not have driving licenses and theministry cannot afford to transport them to mosques.
By A Saleh