Government Refers the al-Zour Refinery Controversy to the State Audit Bureau

摘要

After several weeks of debates about the award of contracts for the construction of the planned new refinery at al-Zour,prompted by the requests for clarification-and even calls for contracts to be put on hold-emanating from various parliamentary groups,the Kuwaiti government finally took a stand on 25 August,when it decided to refer the refinery affair to the State Audit Bureau(SAB).Several deputies,and especially those belonging to the Popular Action Alliance,had fiercely criticized the Oil Minister,Mr.Mohammed al-Olaim,asserting that the contracts infringed the law on public tenders,which governs all major projects,and referring to"financial irregularities".In order to avert an open crisis and the threat of being summoned to appear before parliamentary deputies,Mr.al-Olaim gave in to their pressure and agreed to ask the Cabinet to agree to the affair being submitted to the SAB.