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Kuwait issues arrest warrant for ex-premier's son

July 9, 2020 at 10:08 pm

Former Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on 14 September 2017 [Ali Balıkçı/Anadolu Agency]

Kuwaiti prosecutors on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the son of a former prime minister amid a corruption probe of the so-called “Malaysian Sovereign Fund” case, Anadolu Agency reports.

Informed sources told Anadolu Agency that the investigation began on Thursday morning following the arrest of Sheikh Sabah Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah.

Over the past three years, complaints and media reports alleged that Sheikh Sabah was complicit in suspicious financial transactions and foreign illicit deals in which his fortune reportedly exceeded $1 billion.

READ: Kuwait banks warn of millions in losses as loan repayments are delayed

In June, the public prosecution in the Gulf country ordered a travel ban on Sheikh Sabah and his minor children, freezing their assets.

Previous investigations revealed a corruption scandal and illicit deals involving the Malaysian Sovereign Fund benefiting a Malaysian financier known as Joe Lu and former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

For his part, Sheikh Sabah denied the accusations on May 30 and announced he would appear before the judicial authority to defend himself.