Official recruiting kin in Ministry: MP

Manama : Administrative corruption allegations loom over one of the country’s ministries after an MP yesterday accused one of its staff members of “recruiting relatives”.

MP Jalal Kadhim claimed in a statement issued here yesterday that work contracts of public employees are being terminated by an official who’s replacing them with unqualified relatives of his.

Kadhim has requested the Cabinet to form a ministerial committee to follow up the recruitment processes at ministries and ensure applying equal opportunities principle in the recruitment of Bahrainis in the public sector. “We received multiple complaints about the employment of first and second degree relatives of officials holding senior positions in some ministries, serving personal interests. They are terminating some contracts of staff members who hold university qualifications and replace them with relatives who don’t even have secondary school degrees in jobs requiring specialised university qualifications,” the parliamentarian said in his statement, without naming any ministry.

 “An official at a one of the Kingdom’s ministries has recently committed administrative corruption in the recruitment process. He recruited his relatives in job positions held by Bahraini graduates with higher degrees that are commensurate with the nature of the job. He terminated their contracts without taking into account the public interest in the work. This will increase unemployment of those with higher qualifications,” Kadhim, who claimed that he possesses documents proving his accusations, added.