Kuwait, Sep 14(Kuwait Times): The request to hold an emergency parliamentary session to debate the illegal multimillion-dinar deposits was officially withdrawn yesterday after it failed to get the required number of signatures, MP Falah Al-Sawwagh said.

The request was submitted last week by the Reform and Development Bloc, of which Sawwagh is a member, but it only received the endorsement of 30 MPs, just three members short of the required quorum.

The move came as local electronic media published the names of several MPs said to be involved in the illegal deposits which have been linked to political events in the country, especially grillings. Citing unnamed sources, Sabr electronic newspaper published the names of four MPs whose accounts had been referred to the public prosecution by Kuwait Finance House, the leading Islamic bank in Kuwait. The newspaper also published the amounts it claimed were illegally transferred into their accounts which rang
ed from KD 4 million to one million dinars.

But one of the four MPs mentioned, Hussein Al-Huraiti, vehemently denied the allegation and called on the media not to get involved in the issue before final verdicts are issued by local courts. Also, Islamist MP Khaled Al-Sultan, whose name was not mentioned, called on the media not to publish the names of suspected MPs before the information is proved and validated. Sultan was defending his fellow Salafist MP Ali Al-Omair, whose name was mentioned among those referred to the public prosecution by the Nat
ional Bank of Kuwait. Sultan said he does not believe that Omair will have an account with NBK because it is not an Islamic bank.

Also, deputy speaker Abdullah Al-Roumi said yesterday he has prepared a memorandum to be submitted to the public prosecutor calling on him to launch an investigation into the bank accounts of MPs who sign the document. Roumi said that he has signed the document and called on other MPs to sign in a bid to clear their names from allegations of corruption and receiving illegal payments.

Sawwagh said that the Reform Bloc has withdrawn the emergency session request, adding that all developments related to the issue will now be moved to the next parliamentary session which opens on Oct 25. He said that opposition MPs will demand to hold a special session to debate the corruption-related allegations and money laundering suspicions.

Meanwhile, a number of opposition groups called for a gathering against corruption on Sept 21, less than a week after a rally called by several youth groups. The gathering will be organized to press the government to take necessary legal actions against rife corruption, according to a statement signed by several opposition political groupings.

A new youth group, calling itself the justice youth group, declared its support yesterday to the September 16 Youths group in calling for the Friday rally and for the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. The group also supported calls for undertaking massive political reforms including adopting a parliamentary form of government, allowing political parties and turning Kuwait into a single constituency.