(Judicial Studies) and (Nizah): Importance of integrating national efforts to protect public funds and combat corruption

Kuwait City, 9 November (KUNA) -- The Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies and the Public Authority for Combating Corruption (Nazaha) affirmed on Monday the importance of integrating national efforts to protect public funds, prevent and combat corruption, and consolidate the rule of law, thereby serving the public interest and strengthening trust in state institutions. This came during a panel discussion organized by the Institute at its headquarters in collaboration with Nazaha, under the title “Legal, Supervisory, and Security Integration in Protecting Public Funds and Combating Corruption,” as part of an institutional partnership and to activate the memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties.

Badr Al-Musaed, First Advisor and Director of the Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies, said in a statement that protecting public funds is not merely an administrative or financial duty, but a shared legal and national responsibility linked to safeguarding state resources, enhancing confidence in institutions, and entrenching principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability. He added that the panel discussion holds significant national and institutional importance due to the need for legal, supervisory, and security integration in protecting public funds and combating corruption. He noted that confronting corruption amid the evolution of financial and technological transactions requires shifting from addressing violations after they occur to building an integrated system for prevention, early detection, and accountability.

He highlighted the importance of integration across three main pathways: the legal pathway, through developing legislation and ensuring its proper implementation; the supervisory pathway, by strengthening preventive oversight, risk analysis, and early detection of violations; and the security pathway, through developing investigative and analytical tools, evidence collection, and tracing funds derived from crimes, while respecting legal safeguards. He also emphasized the importance of specialized training and capacity-building in legal, supervisory, and security fields to keep pace with developments, particularly the opportunities and challenges posed by modern technologies and artificial intelligence in detecting and combating corruption crimes.

Al-Musaed reaffirmed the shared commitment of the Institute and Nazaha to provide platforms for dialogue and exchange of expertise, and to enhance cooperation with national institutions, contributing to the development of institutional practices and supporting the system for protecting public funds in the State of Kuwait.

For her part, Dr. Rana Al-Faris, Chairperson of the Public Authority for Combating Corruption (Nazaha), stressed the importance of integrating legal, supervisory, and security roles in protecting public funds and combating corruption, emphasizing that safeguarding public money is a national responsibility that requires coordinated efforts among relevant authorities, integration of expertise, and sustained institutional cooperation and dialogue.

In her statement, Dr. Al-Faris said that protecting public funds is linked to society’s right to its resources and to the state’s ability to fulfill its commitments and achieve development. She noted that this responsibility is grounded in a firm constitutional principle, as Article 17 of the Constitution of the State of Kuwait stipulates that “public funds are inviolable, and their protection is obligatory upon every citizen.”

She explained that this principle is embodied in the penal legislation system in Kuwait, including the Penal Code and its supplementary laws, notably Law No. 1 of 1993 concerning the Protection of Public Funds, Law No. 2 of 2016 establishing the Public Authority for Combating Corruption, and provisions related to the disclosure of financial status and their amendments, all of which strengthen the protection of public funds and hold perpetrators of offenses against them accountable.

It was noted that the United Nations Convention against Corruption underscores the importance of cooperation among national authorities, the exchange of information in accordance with domestic law, and the enhancement of specialized capacities, thereby highlighting the significance of linking legal frameworks to practical implementation, as well as the effectiveness of protecting public funds, which requires the proper application of legal provisions, procedural integrity, and the integration of roles among competent authorities. It stressed that safeguarding public funds and consolidating the rule of law are shared goals that require concerted efforts, complementary expertise, and continued responsible dialogue, expressing pride in the partnership between “Nizaha” and “Judicial Studies” and emphasizing the commitment to further activate this partnership to achieve common objectives and contribute to serving the State of Kuwait and safeguarding its resources.

The discussion panel, which featured specialists from relevant authorities, shed light on the legislative framework for protecting public funds and combating corruption. It also reviewed the supervisory and preventive roles in enhancing integrity, protecting public funds, and combating corruption, as well as the security role in uncovering crimes against public funds and the investigative and fact-finding procedures.

Participants in the discussion panel affirmed that public funds hold a sacred status and that holding a public office is not merely an assignment or responsibility, but a duty imposed by national responsibility and legal rules. They clarified that protecting and preserving public funds is an obligation incumbent upon every citizen. They noted that the Kuwaiti legislator has accorded special protection to public funds, the fight against corruption, and the preservation of the honor of public service by enshrining these principles in the Law on the Protection of Public Funds, the Kuwaiti Penal Code, and related legislation.

They stressed that protecting public funds and combating corruption are not merely legal provisions that criminalize anyone proven to have misappropriated public funds; rather, they constitute an integrated system that begins with legislation and the sound management of public funds and public service, followed by monitoring expenditures and the extent of application of functional laws, and culminates in the actual enforcement of legal provisions and the pursuit and accountability of anyone proven to have violated public funds.

The discussion panel, moderated by Assistant Dr. Ahmad Al-Muqalled, Deputy Director of the Institute for Relations, Communications, and Research Sector, was attended by Assistant Saud Al-Sanea, Deputy Director of the Institute for Continuous and Specialized Training Sector; Abdulhamid Al-Hammar, Director of the Legal Affairs Department and Acting Director of the Technical Office Department at “Nizaha”; and Major Salem Al-Humaidah, representative of the Public Funds Crime Prevention Department at the Ministry of Interior. (End) N Sh / F N / H A