Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah

Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
جابر مبارك الحمد الصباح
Al-Sabah in 2022
7th Prime Minister of Kuwait
In office
4 December 2011 – 19 November 2019
MonarchSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
DeputySabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah
Preceded byNasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah
Succeeded bySabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah
First Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait
In office
9 February 2006 – 4 December 2011
Prime MinisterNasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah
Preceded byMuhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah
Succeeded bySabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah
Minister of Defense
In office
14 February 2001 – 4 December 2011
Prime MinisterNasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah
Preceded bySalem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah[citation needed]
Succeeded byAhmad al-Hamoud al-Sabah
Personal details
Born(1942-01-05)5 January 1942
Kuwait City, Kuwait[citation needed]
Died14 September 2024(2024-09-14) (aged 82)
Kuwait City, Kuwait[citation needed]
Political partyIndependent

Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (Arabic: جابر مبارك الحمد الصباح, romanizedJābir Mubārak al-Ḥamad aṣ-Ṣabāḥ, 5 January 1942 – 14 September 2024) was a Kuwaiti royal and politician who served as the prime minister of Kuwait from 2011 to 2019. He previously served as minister of defense as well as deputy prime minister. In April 2021 a Kuwaiti court ordered his detention on corruption charges.

Jaber was first appointed prime minister on 4 December 2011. A year later, on 5 December 2012, he was reappointed prime minister following the parliamentary election held on 1 December 2012. He was re-appointed in the same position on 1 November 2017.

Career

Jaber began his career an advisor at the administrative affairs department in the Amiri Diwan in 1968 and served there until 1971. Then, he served as director of the administrative affairs department in the Diwan until 1975. He went on to become assistant undersecretary of administrative and financial affairs at the Diwan until 1979.[citation needed] In that year, he became a governor, serving from 1979 to 1985 at Hawally and from 1985 to 1986 at Ahmedy. He was minister of social and labor affairs from 1986 to 1988 and minister of information from 1988 to 1990.[citation needed]

After the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, Jaber became advisor to the office of the Emir, a position he held until 2001. On 14 February 2001, he was named deputy prime minister and defense minister.[citation needed] In 2004, Jaber became chairman of the Supreme Council of Environment. In 2006, he was appointed first deputy prime minister, as well as interior and defense minister. The following year, he was named first deputy prime minister and defense minister.[citation needed]

Sabah was appointed prime minister on 4 December 2011. On 5 December 2012, he was reappointed prime minister following a parliamentary election held on 1 December 2012.[1]

In January 2014 it was announced that he had reshuffled his five-month-old cabinet, replacing seven members, including the oil and finance ministers, and raising the number of Islamists to four. The reshuffle came two weeks after all the ministers submitted their resignations to Sabah after several cabinet members, including the prime minister himself, were questioned by MPs. Emir Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah accepted the resignation of seven of the 15 ministers and decreed the appointment of new ministers. The modified cabinet included a new oil minister, Ali Al Omair, a lawmaker who was a senior member of the Islamist Salaf Alliance. He replaced Mustafa Al Shamali.[2]

Corruption charges

On 13 April 2021, a Kuwaiti court ordered the detention of Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah on corruption charges.[3] He was the first former Kuwaiti prime minister to face pre-trial detention over graft charges.[4] The crimes allegedly took place during Jaber Al-Sabah's 2001–11 term as defense minister.[3]

Activities

He was a patron of the Sheikh Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah Journalism award, created in 2008 to honor excellence in Kuwaiti journalism.[5]

Personal life

Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah was born in Kuwait City[citation needed] on 5 January 1942.[6] He was married to several women.[7] One of his sons, Ahmed, married the daughter of Ibrahim bin Muhammed Al Ghanim, a member of the Kuwaiti Al Ghanim family.[7] On 11 April 2023, his son, Mubarak, died at the age of 45.[8]

Jaber died in Kuwait City[citation needed] on 14 September 2024, at the age of 82.[9]

Honours

On 20 November 2007, King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa awarded Jaber the "Medal of King Issa, First Class," following his visit to Bahrain where he took part in the Middle East Forum on Internal and World Security.[10] On 5 November 2009, he became the first Arab to be awarded Japan's highest honor conferred on foreigners, Order of the Rising Sun, Grand Cordon.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Kuwait's ruler reappoints PM, calls for new cabinet". Reuters. 5 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Kuwait prime minister reshuffles cabinet". Gulf News. 6 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Former Kuwaiti premier held on corruption charges". Anadolu Agency. 13 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Kuwait: Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah detained". Gulf News. 13 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Kuwait's Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Journalism Awards Now Open". PR Newswire. 5 July 2010.
  6. ^ "Index J". Rulers.org. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b Scott J. Weiner (22 July 2016). "Kinship Politics in the Gulf Arab States" (Issue paper). Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  8. ^ "HRH Crown Prince Condoles Emir of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Mubarak Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah". Saudi Press Agency. 13 April 2023.
  9. ^ "HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah passes away". Arab Times Online. 14 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Kuwaiti defense minister meets King, PM of Bahrain". Kuwait News Agency. 20 November 2007.
  11. ^ "Kuwait minister becomes first Arab to get top Japanese decoration for foreigners". Gulf News. 5 November 2009.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mahbob Al-Sabah
Minister of Defense
2001–2011
Succeeded by
Ahmad al-Hamoud al-Sabah
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait
2007–2011
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Kuwait
2011–2019
Succeeded by