The Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs Dr. Amthal Al-Huwaila referred suspected violations involving KD 1.21 million in public funds at the Public Authority for Disability Affairs to the Public Prosecution. An investigation uncovered payments issued for maintenance works and contracts where the associated tasks had not been carried out, Arab Times reported on Saturday. This step marks the second referral of its kind within a single week as oversight at the authority intensifies. All parties implicated in the case will face both legal and administrative proceedings while any disbursed amounts are to be recovered.[[1]](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/kuwait-refers-suspected-kd-121-million-public-fund-violations-at-disability-affairs-authority-to-prosecution)
Al-Huwaila had announced a prior referral on August 25 that sent several officials and employees of the Public Authority for Disability Affairs to prosecution over suspicions of damage to public funds. Those cases involved financial and administrative violations linked to contracts, services and licensing procedures for entities supervised by the authority, according to Kuwait Times. The minister noted through official channels that no rank would be exempt from accountability in such matters.[[2]](https://kuwaittimes.com/article/48673/kuwait/pada-officials-referred-to-prosecution-over-fund-violations/)
The Public Authority for Disability Affairs has encountered repeated irregularities in recent years that prompted multiple recovery operations. Between 2020 and 2024 internal reviews allowed the authority to reclaim KD 511,000 in wrongful payments with an additional KD 475,000 remaining under pursuit after court decisions, an Al-Araby investigation found. The State Audit Bureau separately documented KD 225,000 paid to deceased beneficiaries in the 2022-2023 fiscal period along with further overpayments exceeding KD 400,000 across related categories.[[3]](https://www.alaraby.co.uk/investigations/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D8%AC%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AA)
Caregiver benefits administered by the authority reach roughly 20,000 Kuwaiti citizens and involve annual disbursements of tens of millions of dinars from the public budget. Al-Jarida reported that verification campaigns have been expanded to confirm eligibility and halt payments to unqualified recipients who travel abroad for extended periods. One such review suspended 826 files and generated monthly savings of KD 166,445.[[4]](https://www.aljarida.com/article/75812)
In February the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority referred supervisory staff from the same body to prosecutors on allegations of embezzlement, facilitating embezzlement and document forgery. Arab Times reported that the anti-corruption body highlighted whistleblower contributions in building such cases while pledging continued examination of credible reports. These actions reflect a pattern of referrals that have accumulated over successive years.[[5]](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/kuwaits-anti-corruption-authority-flags-two-disability-affairs-officials-for-embezzlement-forgery-allegations/)
The latest referral centers on the specific sum of KD 1.211 million tied directly to unexecuted maintenance and contractual obligations. Officials have indicated that full accountability extends to any demonstrated negligence in addition to direct involvement. Recovery procedures will run parallel to the prosecution process.
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