Kuwait scores big in national anti-corruption strategy; Nazaha reports 83% progress

The Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) said Kuwait’s national anti-corruption strategy by the end of March 2025 had achieved 83 percent of its objectives, in the face of the set target of 95 percent.

This update was included in the “Citizen Report 2024–2025”, issued on Monday, covering progress from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

The strategy, originally launched in 2019 and extended until the end of 2025 by decision of the Supreme Committee, is built on four main axes and four objectives, supported by 13 priorities and 47 initiatives, all of which are active.

According to the report, progress across the four axes varied — the public sector axis reached 78 percent, the private sector 88 percent, the community 86 percent, and the specialized bodies 80 percent. Despite overall progress, 11 of 14 entities were still lagging behind in implementing their assigned initiatives.

Nazaha praised Kuwait’s notable progress in implementing the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), pointing to a substantial rise in compliance. The “largely compliant” category improved from 9 to 20 recommendations, while the “committed” category rose from 1 to 9.

Meanwhile, the “partially compliant” recommendations dropped from 12 to 9, and “non-compliant” recommendations decreased dramatically from 18 to just 2. The Authority described these results as evidence of Kuwait’s seriousness in addressing international concerns on money laundering and terrorist financing, stressing that accelerated efforts are underway to ensure Kuwait avoids placement on the FATF gray list.

The report also highlighted Kuwait’s Bribery Index score, which remained unchanged at 49 in 2024, while the country’s position in the E-Government Development Index improved slightly compared to 2022.

In terms of oversight, Nazaha reported reviewing 38,754 financial statements since the review committees began their work, with a 99 percent completion rate. During the most recent year alone, 9,930 statements were examined.

The Authority also handled 520 reports and complaints during the reporting period, referring 11 cases to the Public Prosecution, while 18 reports were formally registered as admissible. In addition, 12 judicial police cases were documented across four government entities.

Performance varied significantly among participating institutions. The Supreme Judicial Council met its 92 percent target, while the Ministry of Higher Education achieved full implementation. However, the Central Agency for Public Tenders recorded only 38 percent completion, well below its 100 percent target.

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