Combatting human trafficking is one of the top priorities of Kuwait, said its Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh, terming the country's security a "red line", reported Kuwait Times on Wednesday.
The comment comes after arrest of Bangladeshi MP Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul, accused of human trafficking, money laundering, fraudulence in workers' recruitment and bribing.
Anas Al-Saleh, also Kuwait's deputy prime minister and minister of state for cabinet affairs, made the statement during the parliament's discussion on Wednesday over a letter from MP Abdulwahab Al-Babtain regarding the assignment of the Interior Minister to prepare a report on human trafficking and the ministry's mechanism to combat this phenomenon.
Al-Saleh affirmed that the names of those involved in the so-called human trafficking are with the public prosecution.
Papul was arrested by Kuwait's Criminal Investigation Department on June 6. Bangladesh embassy in Kuwait said it is yet to receive any response from the Kuwait's foreign ministry that was written a letter after the MP's arrest.
During interrogation by Kuwait's prosecution, Kazi Papul, an independent MP from Laxmipur-1 constituency, confessed to bribing millions of dinars to Kuwaiti officials for getting job contracts for the company – Marafie Kuwaitia Group -- that he jointly owns with a Kuwaiti.
Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission also opened an investigation in February this year on charges that he laundered Tk 1,400 crore. He is also accused of laundering money from Kuwait to the US.
Kuwait Times reported yesterday that Kazi Papul denied all charges that have been filed against him, except for "involvement in bribe". He has admitted to offering gifts and assisting his friends in what he called "several agencies" and they in turn helped him complete the company's transactions.
Quoting sources, the newspaper reported the public prosecutor is expected to summon three persons whose names have appeared during the investigation -- names of people whom the Bangladeshi MP said he offered gifts.
They include a Kuwaiti who manages a group of well-known businesses, another Kuwaiti who runs a factory, and the third one is a senior official in one of the ministries who has been suspended from work for three months and 50 percent of his salary has been deducted upon a ministerial decision pending investigations.
Prosecution has also summoned approximately 20 employees working in the firm that is run by the accused, including the accountant, and listened to their statements regarding the salary payments of the employees. It is believed the accused runs three other companies.
The prosecution is yet to summon people related to the case, whether witnesses or people whose names were mentioned during the investigation, except for the 20 employees, reported the daily.
The source stressed the prosecution's investigations and the statements of the accused did not mention any names other than the three people referred to and who the prosecutor is going to summon to investigate on charges of accepting bribes, it reported.
Regarding the defendant's statements, the source stated that the defendant mentioned during the investigation that he came to Kuwait in 1984 and has always respected the laws of the country.
Kazi Papul has 34 government contracts and is employing 9,000 workers through cleaning tenders, Kuwait Times reported.
He is accused of recruiting thousands of foreign workers, mostly Bangladeshis, and charging huge sums of money and of paying low salaries and deducting salaries.
