Bangladeshi MP's visa trading scam rocks Kuwait

The illegal visa trading scam involving millions of dollars by Bangladeshi lawmaker Shahidul Islam Papul, ruffle feathers among Kuwaiti high ups prompting Anas Al Saleh, the deputy prime minister and interior minister of Kuwait to announce in the ruling council session that none would be spared of the legal steps.

Mr Islam, who was arrested a week ago by Prosecution Office, disclosed namesof three top Kuwait officials, including a director of the interior ministry, and a senior civil servant of the same ministry as his accomplices, who were given millions of dollars in bribe to allow the illegal visa trade.

Responding to the countrywide demand for punishing the officials involved in the scam, Interior minister Mr Saleh on Tuesday in a statement said "We will not hide or cover up any name. Everyone who is accused, implicated and dealing with so called residency trade, will be confronted by the Ministry of interior".

During the interrogation, Shahidul Islam revealed he provided 1.1 million dinars ($3.58 million) by check to an official at the Ministry of Interior, one million dinars ($3.25 million) in cash to another official, in addition to "bags" of millions of dinars in cash to a third official, Kuwaiti media reported.

Al Rai newspaper reported after his detailed confession of providing financial sums to a director in one of the ministries, a civil servant in the Ministry of Interior and another accomplice, the Public Prosecution decided to continue the detention of the Bangladeshi MP and another compatriot on charges of human trafficking and money laundering.

Prosecutors heard testimonies of 12 Bangladeshi workers brought in Kuwait by the accused from Bangladesh for money.

Mr Islam in his confessions against a director in one of the ministries, said that he was attending at his cleaning company, demanding that all Kuwaiti employees be dismissed before his arrival, so that no one would recognise him, reports Al Rai, a Kuwaiti newspaper.

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