Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are partners in fighting corruption

The state visit of Kuwait’s Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, his first foreign visit since becoming emir last month, will further cement a very special partnership in every field. The fight against corruption, which the emir champions at home, will be a new dimension as the two neighbors exchange lessons learned and best practices.
Sheikh Mishal has embarked on a determined fight against corruption, nepotism and malfeasance. On Dec. 20, the day he was sworn in during a special session of the National Assembly, he gave a scathing and unprecedented rebuke to both the government and the parliament. He addressed them by saying the two branches of government had “united to harm the interests of the country and the people.” In the same address, the emir vowed to fight corruption and end nepotism and favoritism in government hiring and contracts. The government resigned later that day.
On Jan. 17, as the new government was sworn in before the emir, he directed the ministers to eradicate corruption, favoritism and nepotism, apply the rules of “justice and equality in all public institutions” and equal opportunity in hiring, and maintain an “open door” policy to closely oversee their ministries. Sheikh Mishal instructed the government to “apply the law on everybody equally, without exceptions or negligence.” The new government ministers have emphasized these themes, sending a clear message that it is no longer business as usual in Kuwait.
Emboldened by the new spirit, a parliament committee charged with investigating defense deals this month revealed that it had uncovered serious irregularities in a defense contract with a European company that was worth €349 million ($378 million).
Sheikh Mishal had already championed the reform and anti-corruption agenda while he was still crown prince and a deputy for the late Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during his last years in office. Now, as the sitting emir of Kuwait, he is able to do more. Another investigation of defense contracts worth billions of dollars was concluded late last year, after many years of slow progress. The investigation and court judgments implicated many high-ranking officials, including senior members of the ruling family.
The reenergized campaign to weed out corruption has not only struck a favorable chord in Kuwait, but Saudis are also following the new spirit. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia not only share a border and membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council, but they also have a long shared history and close cultural and social partnerships from time immemorial. Tribes and families are almost indistinguishable across the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. And now they share the desire to rid their countries of all forms of corruption.
Their renewed ties will most likely have an impact on fighting corruption and mismanagement. Since 2017, Saudi Arabia has been on an unstoppable campaign, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to weed out corruption. The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority has conducted tens of thousands of investigations in the past seven years, resulting in the recovery of billions of riyals of stolen or misappropriated funds. Its probes also led to the prosecution and imprisonment of thousands of public officials and their private partners. During the last four months of 2023, for example, the authority conducted 10,558 investigations and referred 1,257 officials and contractors to the public prosecutor. Some 597 individuals were arrested during those four months, according to official figures.

Since 2017, Saudi Arabia has been on an unstoppable campaign, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to weed out corruption.

Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg

One of the latest high-profile cases was that of the executive director of the Royal Commission for AlUla, who was named in an Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority statement issued last week. That he was named and shamed in a public way demonstrates that no official, no matter how high up in government, can escape accountability, as the crown prince has vowed since the start.
This official was implicated in the abuse of public office and money laundering, according to the official statement. Before joining the government, he unlawfully secured contracts worth SR206 million ($55.1 million) from a government agency, through a company he partially owned. After joining the government, he fictitiously sold his share of the company but continued his ownership. He granted the company contracts from the Royal Commission for AlUla, of which he was the executive director. He also secured personal benefits from other companies with contracts from the commission. He collected his profits from these projects through his relatives and associates, who conspired with him and have since been detained.
The anti-corruption watchdog publicizes some of the cases it has resolved to send a clear message that there is zero tolerance for financial misconduct. Another case involved a notary public, a quasi-judicial position at the Ministry of Justice, who was arrested for issuing land deeds illegally and registering them to his relatives, who subsequently sold the misbegotten lands for SR65 million.
In addition to the high-profile cases, there are thousands more incidences of officials receiving bribes, embezzling funds or otherwise abusing their positions for financial gain. For example, a retired general was arrested for embezzling funds and receiving bribes while on active duty. Another involved an official at the Ministry of Health who received bribes to provide favorable treatment to a contractor. A Ministry of Education official in charge of a program for gifted students in one of the provinces embezzled sizable funds earmarked for that program. A municipal official coerced businesses he inspected to do favors for other companies, for which he received handsome bribes. Two education employees were caught red-handed as they received bribes for favoring a particular contractor in a round of public bidding. There was also a case of uniformed employees of the Ministry of Interior being detained for receiving bribes in exchange for contracts.
Saudi Arabia’s relentless efforts against corruption are being noticed. Judging from the voluminous information put out by the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, it is getting tips from every government department in the capital, other big cities and in remote towns. The organization has partnerships far and wide that allow it to share best practices, including with other GCC countries.
The GCC heads have repeatedly called for the tightening of rules to weed out corruption, which they recognize as an obstacle and a drag on development. Saudi Arabia’s public messaging in the media and on billboards all over the country is clear: it will redouble its efforts to eradicate this scourge.
Kuwait’s reenergized anti-corruption campaign will add a new dimension to its deeply rooted partnership with Saudi Arabia.

• Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent the GCC.
X: @abuhamad1