Kuwait issues arrest warrant for ex-premier's son

 Sheikh Sabah Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah

10 July 2020; MEMO: Kuwaiti prosecutors on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the son of a former prime minister and his partner 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 and businessman Hamad al-Wazzan, with both charged with money laundering, influence peddling and squandering public funds by establishing companies in Comoros.

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.

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.