CORRUPTION IN IRAQ: PARLIAMENTARY STATEMENTS ABOUT THE LOSS OF $21 BILLION
Statements about corruption in Iraq raised controversy again, after a member of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad Nouri Al-Khuzaie, announced the disappearance of 35 trillion Iraqi dinars (more than 21 billion dollars). The dispute escalated in Iraqi circles, and a sharp division occurred within the ranks of the Finance Committee in Parliament, amid the severe criticism directed by Al-Khuzaie regarding the financial policies adopted by the Central Bank of Iraq .
Al-Khuzaie said in press statements related to corruption issues in Iraq that more than 35 trillion printed Iraqi dinars do not exist inside Iraq, and that there are only two neighboring countries that deal with Iraq in dinars , including Iran.
He added that the control of the parties and the existing quotas within the financial system are what established the failure of the economic system in Iraq, criticizing the financial and administrative policy under which the Central Bank of Iraq operates.
He pointed out that the control of some influential parties over the Central Bank’s decisions affected the exchange rate of the dollar , adding that “the biggest mistake was pricing the dollar in the budget at 132 thousand compared to 100 dollars because it cost Iraq a loss of more than 9 trillion dinars and the difference between it and the market prices became large.”
Criticisms and Denials
Al-Khuzai’s statements about corruption in Iraq aroused the anger and dissatisfaction of the Chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament, the representative of the State of Law coalition, Atwan Al-Atwani, who issued a statement in which he said: “We followed with great astonishment and disapproval the irresponsible statements made by Representative Muhammad Al-Khuzai during his hosting on one of the satellite channels for the talk. About the monetary policy in the country and the procedures of the Central Bank of Iraq.
Al-Atwani added in a statement issued by the Finance Committee, which he chairs: “We categorically deny the allegations that Mr. Representative (Al-Khuzaie) spoke about, as they lack credibility, accuracy, and objectivity, and indicate his lack of familiarity with the committee’s procedures and duties. We express our strong rejection of these allegations because of the great offense they carry.” “For the tasks and duties of the Parliamentary Finance Committee in particular and the legislative authority in general,” stressing that an investigation has been opened to determine the authenticity and source of these statements, which he described as “dangerous.”
epresentative Muhammad Nouri Al-Khuzaie responded quickly to the statement issued by the Chairman of the Finance Committee, stressing that this statement was not known to the members of the Committee, and that he would legally demand that the Chairman of the Finance Committee be withdrawn due to this personal decision, as he described it.
Exceeding Powers
Al-Khuzaie said during a phone call with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the statement issued by the Chairman of the Finance Committee on December 9 was issued personally by the Chairman of the Committee without the knowledge of the rest of the members.
He added that this statement contains a lot of “lies”, attacks and personal transgression outside the limits of the authority of the Chairman of the Committee, stressing that Al-Atwani replaced the Central Bank and defended its failed financial and monetary policy.
Al-Khuzaie confirmed that he bears full responsibility for the information he disclosed to the media, about the disappearance of huge amounts of money, and the Central Bank’s mismanagement of the file of preserving funds and managing the crisis of the rise in the dollar exchange rate.
The Central Bank denied the accusations made by Representative Muhammad Nouri Al-Khuzaie about the disappearance of large amounts of local currency and their smuggling to neighboring countries, indicating the nature of the Iraqi currency and its quantities.
The Central Bank said in a statement that the alleged accusations of the disappearance of large amounts of Iraqi currency and their smuggling to some neighboring countries are not true, and that the quantities of Iraqi currency are printed according to the needs of the Iraqi economy within strict standards.
He stressed that the Central Bank is the only institution in Iraq that is subject to auditing of accounts and financial operations from four parties, which are: the Financial Supervision Bureau, an international auditing company, a committee of external auditors, and the Internal Audit Department.
He pointed out that making accusations about corruption in Iraq without providing any evidence to confirm them calls into question the intentions, and their goal is to harm the state’s economic interests, stressing his legal right to prosecute anyone who promotes such accusations.
Corruption is on the rise in Iraq
In its statement last year on corruption in Iraq, the former Parliamentary Integrity Committee estimated the volume of smuggled funds since 2003 at about $350 billion, equivalent to 32 percent of Iraq’s revenues during these years.
Last Sunday, the head of the Federal Integrity Commission, Judge Haider Hanoun, met with a delegation of officials in the United States of America, including Jesse Baker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury, to discuss the possibility of cooperation between the Iraq Money Recovery Fund and the US Treasury.
In a statement issued by the Integrity Commission, the head of the commission expressed the urgent need to help the US Treasury recover Iraqi funds that were lost before 2003 by the previous regime.
In this context, the economic researcher, Omar Al-Halbousi, believes that the issue of smuggling Iraqi funds abroad is greater than the procedures of the Integrity Commission, because there are influential parties with strong authority within the Iraqi state that stand behind the smuggling of funds.
Speaking to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, Al-Halbousi accused unnamed regional countries, militias and parties of being behind the Iraqi currency smuggling operations, pointing out that there are countries that used their powerful tools to provide facilities for smugglers, until there was a conflict inside Iraq between these countries to bring in the largest number of smugglers. For her own good.
Al-Halbousi explained that the Integrity Commission will not be serious in confronting the disappearance of Iraqi funds, regardless of their value, and the issue of announcing the recovery of lost funds from Iraq before the year 2003 is an attempt to cover up the larger thefts that occurred after the year 2003.
(Sounds like the corruption in the U.S. When will it be exposed and justice served.)
No comments:
Post a Comment