In the meantime, Hussein carried out one of the biggest reshuffle in the oil sector, replacing the chief executive officers of all the eight companies under Kuwait Petroleum Corp. The shakeup also included replacing the chief executive officer of KPC Farouq Al-Zanki, who was replaced by Nezar Al-Adasani. A number of MPs swiftly welcomed the reported resignation but no one confirmed the report. MP Abdullah Al-Tameemi said the acceptance of the resignation of the oil minister was “long overdue” but called for following the issue on the payment of Dow penalty in court. He also criticized the minister for undertaking the shakeup in the oil sector and not leaving it to his successor.
MP Saadoun Hammad, one of the three MPs who filed to grill the minister, said the resignation of the oil minister is a “conviction” against him and vowed that the resignation will not stop them from referring the minister to the special tribunal for trying ministers after he squandered millions in public funds. MP Faisal Al-Kandari called on the three grillers to provide all the information they have to the parliamentary committee investigating the Dow issue.
MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak said the minister has escaped the Dow catastrophe, but called on the prime minister to rectify the massive changes in the oil sector and reinstate highly-qualified oil executives removed by the minister. Under Kuwaiti law, when a minister resigns, any grilling against him will not be debated like the grilling against Hussein. The two grillings were due to be debated tomorrow with Hussein’s grilling first. It was not clear whether the government will attend tomorrow’s Assembly session or not.
In another development, an Assembly committee reviewing two multibillion-dollar projects – the Subbiya Causeway and North Al-Zour power plant – yesterday recommended the scrapping of the Al-Zour plant for breaking several rules but okayed the causeway project. Member of the committee MP Abdulhameed Dashti said the recommendation on the Al-Zour plant was taken after the committee found “flagrant legal violations” in the contract and unanimously decided to call for scrapping it.
In January, the government signed a deal with a consortium led by France’s GDF-Suez, and including Sumitomo Corp of Japan, to build the 1,500 megawatt Al-Zour gas-fired power and seawater treatment plant – part of plans to diversify the oil-reliant economy. The $ 2.6 billion Subbiya Causeway is set to be built by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co, according to a contract signed in November.
