VZCZCXRO1895
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0360/01 0701407
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 111407Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8492
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2017 
TAGS: PGOV KISL KU ISLAMISTS
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: KUWAIT CONSIDERING ANTI-CORRUPTION 
WATCHDOG AGENCY 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 258 
     ¶B. 06 KUWAIT 556 
 
Classified By: Ambassdor Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C/NF)  Summary: Salah Ghazali, the head of the Kuwait 
Transparency Society (KTS), reported on March 10 that the 
Amiri Diwan had prepared a decree establishing a government 
anti-corruption watchdog agency that would rank government 
institutions according to their corruption levels.  According 
to Ghazali, the Government is having the decree reviewed by 
the World Bank to ensure its compliance with international 
standards before issuance.  Ghazali is cautiously optimistic 
that the anti-corruption agency could be established by the 
end of 2007.  Ghazali went into some detail about corruption 
in Kuwait, describing how it starts in the parliament and 
pervades the ministries, the judicial branch, and government 
contracts.  Ghazali noted that real solutions would only come 
as a result of decisive action by the Amir. 
 
GOK Anti-Corruption Watchdog Agency in the Works 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2.  (C/NF)  Salah Ghazali, head of the Kuwait Transparency 
Society (KTS), told PolOff on March 10 that an Amiri Decree 
establishing a government institution to combat corruption 
was in the final stages of preparation.  According to 
Ghazali, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ismail 
Al-Shatti told him the decree had been transferred to the 
World Bank for final review, to ensure the decree's 
provisions were consistent with international norms.  Once 
this governmental watchdog is set up, it would monitor the 
institutions of the state to expose corruption.  Ghazali said 
KTS proposed the establishment of the anti-corruption body to 
the Amir at its latest conference in January.  He is 
optimistic that the decree will follow the KTS' 
recommendations, the most important of which is that the body 
publish a corruption report every three months.  The report's 
main feature would be the Kuwait Anti-corruption Index for 
Public Institutions (KAIPI), which would rank Kuwaiti 
government institutions in terms of their corruptness. 
Ghazali said he hoped to hear further news about the 
anti-corruption institution shortly after the formation of 
the new cabinet and was cautiously optimistic that the 
institution might be established by the end of the year. 
 
Corruption Starts in Parliament, Spreads through Ministries 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶3.  (C/NF)  Ghazali talked at some length about the kinds of 
corruption found in Kuwait.  He started by saying that the 
main source of corruption in Kuwait is the parliament.  He 
noted that while election mechanics in Kuwait are free of 
corruption, there is a great deal of "vote buying." 
Traditionally, vote buying was straightforward and candidates 
had ways of checking to make sure the voter voted as he 
promised.  However, as verification became more difficult, 
other forms of vote buying appeared.  For instance, a 
candidate offers to fix up a constituent's diwaniyya or 
facilitates the constituent's getting medical treatment 
abroad at government expense.  Ghazali acknowledged that 
there is a gray line between which of these cases are truly 
vote buying and which are normal politics.  The important 
point for him is that MPs use their positions of influence to 
dole out services in exchange for loyalty.  Ghazali also 
pointed out that a number of MPs are backed by powerful 
business interests and successfully lobby to help them get 
government contracts. 
 
¶4.  (C/NF)  Ghazali described corruption in government 
contracts as particularly pervasive.  He believes that most 
if not all government contracts involve some level of 
corruption.  Ghazali also cited corruption at ministries in 
the form of bribes for licenses and permits.  He asserted 
that while judges in Kuwait were not corrupt, the bureaucracy 
of the judicial branch was a significant source of corruption 
as well. 
 
Solution Must Come from Top 
--------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C/NF)  Ghazali said that he has had three private 
audiences with the Amir in the year since KTS' founding. 
Each time, the Amir encouraged him to expose corruption 
wherever he found it.  The Amir even asked Ghazali to write 
the Amir's speech for the January KTS conference.  While 
Ghazali said he believes the Amir sincerely wants to end 
corruption, he also criticized the Amir, noting that the Amir 
complained about corruption "like an average citizen" when he 
 
KUWAIT 00000360  002 OF 002 
 
 
in fact had the power to stop it.  Ghazali dismissed concerns 
that the Sabah family would create an internal crisis by 
standing up to corruption.  First, he argued, no one 
seriously challenges Sabah family rule.  Second, average 
citizens are longing for non-corrupt, transparent government 
institutions and will support efforts to achieve this. 
Ghazali contrasted the Health Minister, whom Ghazali claimed 
had allowed runaway corruption, with the Minister of Public 
Works, who had made clear from the beginning that he would 
not tolerate corruption.  Ghazali said the Minister of Public 
Works enjoys wide popularity whereas the Health Minister was 
the object of public outcry and parliamentary grilling. 
Despite his belief that standing up to corruption would be 
popular, Ghazali acknowledged that significant changes will 
be difficult without a major push from the Amir. 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LeBaron