WASHINGTON IS “LURING” BAGHDAD INTO SANCTIONS. WHY IS THERE THIS SILENCE ON THE CENTRAL BANK CARDS?
Ziad Al-Hashemi warns of a “trap”
Economic expert, Ziad Al-Hashemi, warned the Central Bank of Iraq against falling into the trap of US Treasury sanctions.
He expressed his belief that Washington’s silence and failure to express any position on the recently announced “National Card Scheme” project may be part of the “monitor and punish” policy that Washington has followed for years in dealing with the Iraqi financial system, which has led to the issuance of sanctions against many Iraqi entities and individuals. Al-Hashemi reviewed this in detail, while calling for “learning the lesson” and exercising caution, while raising the levels of compliance and internal control to the highest levels to fortify the new financial system, so that the Central Bank itself does not fall into trouble!
(Monitor and then punish) This is the tactic followed by the US Treasury when dealing with official and unofficial Iraqi parties involved in fraudulent and illegal operations taking place inside and outside Iraq, which tarnish the name of Iraq!
After what appears to have been years of monitoring, the US Treasury has sanctioned, through three executive orders, Iraqi and other shadow businessmen active in the black economy and in the smuggling of Iranian oil and petrochemical products, which are under US sanctions, using official Iraqi documents and in collaboration with parties in Iran, Malaysia, Syria, and Yemen.
This measure is not the first of its kind, and it will not be the last. Previously, Iraqi banks, companies, and individuals have been sanctioned for operating within vast and complex networks of fraudulent black market operations that generate billions for their owners and damage the reputation of Iraq and its economy.
Despite all the manipulation, camouflage, fraud, and concealment methods employed by fraudulent, smuggling, and money laundering networks inside Iraq, and despite all the quasi-political support provided behind the scenes and in complete secrecy, it becomes clearer day after day that most or all of these fraudulent activities are being monitored, tracked, and monitored by the Treasury through sensors that appear to be deeply embedded within these fraudulent systems!
The delay in the US Treasury’s sanctions on these businesses is clearly to allow sufficient time and opportunity to uncover the entire network, its full activities, the extent of its involvement, those dealing with it, the amount of its funds, and other details that would make the case complete and ready for the implementation of sanctions!
The problem with Iraqi fraud, smuggling, and money laundering networks is that they fail to learn lessons or take heed from the experiences of those who came before them and were subject to sanctions. This allows them to continue to become more involved, expand their operations, and inflate their wealth, without caring that everything is being monitored and hacked, and that sanctions are coming at any moment!
Iraq, as a country, has been suffering from numerous sanctions imposed on parties and funds affiliated with the country. These sanctions have increased in a scandalous manner, to the point that there is no Iraqi economic component that has not been subjected to direct or indirect American sanctions, placing Iraq on the list of countries with a bad reputation and lacking legal, financial, and economic discipline.
The National Electronic Payment Card System announced by the Central Bank of Iraq has not been rejected or opposed by the Treasury, as if the Treasury wants to open the door to monitoring how the new system will be used and who will attempt to exploit it to circumvent controls and subsequently fall into the trap of US sanctions.
Therefore, the Central Bank of Iraq must be more cautious this time, learn from what happened previously, fully fortify the new system, and raise the level of compliance and internal oversight to the highest levels, so that it does not fall into the trap of American (monitoring and punishment) as a result of the incorrect implementation or fraudulent exploitation of its new system!