DUBAI - Kuwait's prime minister plans to sue a member of the National Assembly as the scandal over a 200,000 dinars ($700,400) cheque issued by the PM to a legisator continues to escalate, local daily the Kuwait Times reported on Sunday.
Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah is to file a lawsuit against opposition MP Faisal al-Mislem after the latter waved a photocopy of the cheque in parliament, the newspaper reported.
Sheikh Nasser is accusing Mislem of breaching the Gulf state's bank confidentiality laws and revealing private accounts of people, the paper said.
Mislem’s lawers contend that the MP enjoys immunity for actions inside the legislature, the paper said.
The prime minister’s lawyer said the cheque was issued by the prime minister, but from his personal account for private business, without giving details of the legislator who received the payment or the type of transaction, according to the Kuwait Times.
Parliamentary feuds between the Kuwait government and opposition are common with legislators in the Gulf state among the most vocal in their criticism of officials.
They have often forced ministers to resign with their right to question them over government matters.