KUWAIT: Kuwait has overhauled how it selects future prosecutors, scrapping a previous committee and replacing it with a new, fully electronic system after reviews found serious flaws in the earlier process. Justice Minister Nasser Al-Sumait said the old selection mechanism could not stand after complaints and document reviews revealed violations that compromised fairness and the credibility of results. All work and outcomes of the former committee were annulled last July.
“This is not something the government can accept,” Al-Sumait said, referring to errors that affected the integrity of the selection process. On July 23, the justice minister annulled all work and results of the previous selection committee after finding violations that made the process unreliable. A new committee of senior judges and prosecutors was later appointed to oversee the full selection process. The new system shifts appointment decisions away from a single body. Selection is now based on a joint decision by the judiciary, the Ministry of Justice and the Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies, which Al-Sumait described as a core governance principle.
The changes were applied on Saturday during electronic written exams for applicants to the post of junior legal researcher, a role that qualifies candidates for appointment as public prosecutor. Al-Sumait conducted an inspection tour at Kuwait University’s Sabah Al-Salem campus, where the exams were held. The exams were open to Kuwaiti men and women who applied between July 12 and Aug 15, 2024. A total of 1,295 candidates took part. The tests were conducted entirely electronically, with no human involvement in grading, Al-Sumait said.
Candidates received their results immediately after completing the exam and were informed on the spot whether they had advanced to the interview stage. Al-Sumait said this was the first time such procedures had been used. Those who pass the written stage will move on to personal interviews conducted by a newly formed selection committee. The final list of successful candidates will then be approved by the Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice.
The candidates who sat the exams are graduates from the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 academic years. Once their appointments are completed, applications will open to 2024–2025 graduates under the same system. Al-Sumait said acceptance numbers will be higher than in previous years as the Public Prosecution moves ahead with a pre-approved Kuwaitization plan. — Agencies
