Kuwait pursues corruption charges in Eurofighter plane deal

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s government says it had referred two senior military officers for prosecution in a major corruption case related to the country’s purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon combat planes, after an investigation into the jets’ improperly inflated price. The Anti-Corruption Authority said Monday that a major general and colonel in Kuwait’s army would face prosecutors over their alleged misuse of public funds, the latest corruption case to rock the oil-rich sheikhdom. Officials are ramping up a long-flagging campaign toward greater accountability as deep-rooted government graft increasingly causes public and parliamentary consternation. Kuwait ordered 28 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, made by a consortium of European companies, in 2016 under a contract valued at some $8.7 billion.