Parliament Finance responds to the Central Bank’s decision to import foreign currency and plans to host the governor
Today, Saturday (November 11, 2023), the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives commented on the decision of the Central Bank of Iraq to import “foreign currency” from abroad, while indicating that it will work to host Governor Ali Al-Alaq.
Committee member Mustafa Al-Karaawi told “Baghdad Today” that “the committee will work to host the Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Al-Alaq, and the senior staff at the bank, to discuss the decision to import foreign currency from abroad, and to find out the reasons that prompted such a decision to be taken and how it might have an impact.” On the internal Iraqi economic situation.”
He stated, “There is a fear that such decisions will be exploited by some parties and personalities who want to exploit any decision to their advantage, and for this reason we will have a position of following up and monitoring this decision, and we will also have a position in making an appropriate decision after reviewing the full details of this decision within a few days.” "The next one."
The instructions of the Central Bank of Iraq, which it issued on Wednesday (November 8, 2023), regarding allowing banks to import foreign currency from abroad, raised a number of questions and discussions in economic circles about the legality, motives, and goals of this step.
The discussion was topped by some recalling the decision of the State Shura Council in 2011, to infer the lack of legal basis for the decision to import foreign currency, as the State Shura Council issued Resolution 2/2011, in January of the year 2011, based on a request for an opinion that came to the Council by the Office Financial oversight, as the State Shura Council relied on several legal texts, to infer the absence of a legal basis for the Central Bank to grant licenses to import foreign currency from abroad.
On the other hand, researchers in economic affairs have proven the validity of the Central Bank’s instructions, as the Central Bank had previously issued instructions to import foreign currency in July of 2011, and they were published in the Al-Waqe’at newspaper at that time, that is, 6 months after the decision of the State Shura Council, which makes it a document. Legally enforceable.
Observers and specialists raised a number of questions about the Central Bank’s decision, about the reason for opening the door to importing foreign currency, and whether this means or indicates that the Central Bank has begun to find difficulty in obtaining the dollar or sufficient quantities of it from the US Federal Reserve, and therefore the bank The Central Bank has become unable to meet the demand for the dollar because it does not possess it in sufficient quantity link