Kuwait MPs delay premier grilling for year after government referred case to constitutional court

The Kuwaiti parliament on Tuesday voted to delay a grilling of the Gulf state's prime minister for a year, after the government referred the case to the constitutional court.

Thirty-seven members, including the 16 cabinet ministers, voted in favor of the government-sponsored motion, while 10 MPs were against and 15 other opposition lawmakers walked out of the session in protest.

The quiz request, filed on May 10 by opposition MPs Ahmad al-Saadun and Abdulrahman al-Anjari, accused the prime minister of squandering public funds and of being responsible for financial and administrative irregularities.

State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Ali al-Rashed told parliament the government regarded the quiz request as a violation of the constitution and wanted the court to rule on the issue.

Immediately after the vote, however, another opposition group, the Reform and Development Bloc, said it will file a new request by Sunday to question the prime minister in parliament for allegedly damaging Kuwait's ties with Gulf states.

The postponement vote was taken following a heated debate in which ministers clashed with opposition MPs determined to question Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmad Al-Sabah over allegations of squandering public funds.