Kuwait manpower authority official, politician jailed over ties with Kazi Papul
An official working at Kuwait Public Authority for Manpower and a previous parliamentary candidate have been sentenced to 21 days in prison for their connection with Bangladeshi lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam, widely known as Kazi Papul.
According to local Al Qabas newspaper, their case is still under review by the public prosecutor and they are awaiting trial. The public prosecutor's office is awaiting financial documents that prove payment was made to Shahid Islam.
However, Kazi Papul claimed he is "clean as those in charge are to blame," Al Qabas also reported.
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"I have 9,000 employees in Kuwait and 100% clean bids. No governmental entities have questioned my work in the past, but some officials would not allow my work to go through if I did not pay them. What am I to do in this case?" said Kazi Papul.
"It would take some time to reveal all parties involved in order to ensure that everybody involved in the case is held accountable," a source told Al Qabas.
A prosecution file obtained by Al Qabas detailed that, "The case is huge and contains details about hundreds of workers that have been sold illegal permits and brought to Kuwait."
The Bangladeshi parliamentarian is currently in remand on human trafficking, visa trading and money laundering charges until the investigations are over.
On June 7, Kazi Papul, a ruling party lawmaker from Laxmipur-2 constituency, was arrested over human trafficking and money laundering charges by the Kuwait's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The judge of Mushrif magistrate court sent him to jail denying his bail plea on the same day. And, the court denied his bail plea three times as of June 10.
Later on June 12, Papul was again produced in court and the prosecution was granted 21 more days in detention in the interest of further investigations into money laundering charges and bribery to manage Kuwaiti officials against him.
Thus, the Bangladeshi lawmaker will remain in prison until July 9.
Kuwaiti authorities have also imposed a freeze on the bank accounts of Kazi Papul and his company to prevent him from moving his assets beyond the jurisdiction of Kuwait courts.
Papul, the prime accused, had five million dinars in assets in Kuwait.
