Kuwait detains army officer accused of taking bribe from Bangladesh MP Shahid

Kuwaiti authorities have detained Major General Mazen Sheikh Mazem Al Jarrah, assistant under-secretary of the interior ministry, over a scandal involving Bangladeshi MP Mohammad Shahid Islam.

Al Jarrah was being charged with accepting bribes from Shahid in exchange for fast-tracking transactions for the MP’s businesses, Gulf News reported on Saturday, citing Al Qabas newspaper.

The public prosecution issued a warrant for the army officer last Thursday after the government suspended him on allegations of receiving bribes from and making a dubious financial transaction with Shahid, arrested on charges of human trafficking and money laundering.

The prosecution’s investigation discovered that Al Jarrah endorsed several transactions when he was the assistant undersecretary for citizenship, passports and residence affairs.

Shahid named Jarrah during questioning, which was ongoing at Kuwait’s central prison over a month after his arrest on Jun 8 as the investigators were trying to ensure that all parties involved are held accountable.

Last week, the National Assembly’s legislative committee agreed to end the immunity of two parliamentary members, Salah Khorshid and Saadoun Hammad, both accused of being involved in the case.

An official at the Public Authority for Manpower and a former parliamentary candidate were arrested and sentenced to 21 days in prison for their involvement in the case.

Having travelled to Kuwait as a migrant worker, Shahid now has permanent resident status and runs his own business there. His wife Salina Islam is also an MP in Bangladesh from a seat reserved for women.