Al-Sadr directs his supporters: Do not attack their “corrupt” elections and preserve Iraq’s stability
Al-Sadr directs his supporters - Do not attack their corrupt elections and preserve Iraqs stabilityShafaq News/ On Wednesday, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, directed his supporters not to attack electoral centers for the provincial council elections, which he described as “corrupt elections.”
Al-Sadr said in his account on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), “We are people who are purified of the filth of their corruption and the ploy of their elections. They are people who corrupt… and God does not like corruption. So be pure and do not attack their corrupt elections… and preserve Iraq’s security and stability and Gaza’s dignity.. The Commander of the Faithful also maintained stability after the robbing of his caliphate and the attack on his beloved Fatima al-Zahra. Iraq is your responsibility, religion is your responsibility, and doctrine is your responsibility.”
Provincial council elections are scheduled to be held next Monday, December 18, in all Iraqi governorates except the Kurdistan Region.
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.)
CBI agrees with US to meet its requests for cash shipments for 2024
Shafaq News / The Central Bank of Iraq announced on Thursday that it had reached an agreement with a United States delegation to meet the bank's cash supply needs in dollars for the upcoming year.
In a statement released today, the bank mentioned that its delegation concluded meetings with representatives from the US Federal Reserve and the US Treasury in Dubai.
The meetings resulted in several agreements aimed at supporting CBI’s policies. These agreements focus on facilitating Iraqi banks in establishing relationships with correspondent banks and gradually transitioning towards enhancing pre-funding for these banks' accounts.
The statement clarified that this aligns with the Central Bank of Iraq's previously announced plan to gradually reduce reliance on the electronic platform, aiming to discontinue its use during the coming year and restricting it solely to financial transfer registration for monitoring, auditing, and analysis purposes.
The statement quoted Ali Al-Alaq, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, emphasizing the Central Bank's dedication to supporting Iraqi banks, enhancing their capacities, and aligning them with international practices.
As per the statement, there was an agreement and approval from the aforementioned entities to fulfill the Central Bank of Iraq's requests for cash shipments for the year 2024.
The meetings witnessed several understandings aimed at enhancing the capacities of Iraqi banks and bolstering their compliance with international standards, according to the Iraqi Central Bank's statement.
ASSOCIATED PRESS”: WASHINGTON SENT MESSAGES TO AL-SUDANI STATING THAT ITS PATIENCE IS RUNNING OUT!
The Associated Press revealed The American newspaper said that the attacks on American bases by the factions are forcing the Baghdad government to strike a balance that becomes more difficult day after day, while it indicated that Washington sent messages to the Sudanese government stating that its patience is beginning to run out.
The agency says in a report translated by Al-Sumaria News, “Dozens of attacks on American military installations by factions in Iraq during the past two months, with the intensification of the war between Israel and Hamas, forced Baghdad to take a balanced measure that has become more difficult day after day,” noting that “The missile attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad on Friday marked a further escalation as Iraqi officials seek to contain the fallout from the latest war in the Middle East.”
She adds, “Iran has great influence in…Iraq“, pointing out that “there are about 2,000 American soldiers in Iraq under agreement with Baghdad, mainly to counter the terrorist organization of ISIS”.
She continues, “Baghdad it also relies heavily on waivers Washington From sanctions to purchase electricity from Iran, and since the 2003 US invasion, reserves have been put in place Iraq of foreign currencies at the US Federal Reserve, giving Americans significant control over supplies Iraq of dollars”.
The agency explains in its report, “Sudani’s ancestors also had to walk a delicate line between Tehran and Washington but the war between Israel and Hamas has greatly increased the risks.”
Since the outbreak of war on October 7, a group of Iraqi militants called the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” Responsible for at least 92 attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria. They say their attacks are in response to support Washington to Israel and its military presence in Iraq and Syria, according to the agency.
The agency reveals that “Washington she sent messages saying that her patience was running out.”
After the attack on the embassy, the Pentagon said that Defense Minister Lloyd Austin he made it clear to Al-Sudani that attacks against American forces must stop.”
The US Secretary of State said Anthony Blinken For the Sudanese Washington It expects Iraqi officials to take further measures to prevent such attacks, and believes they have the ability to do so, a US official told the agency.
An Iraqi official said that the CIA Director William Burns During his recent visit to the region, Al-Sudani warned of “serious consequences.” If he doesn’t move Iraq to stop attacks.
In a call with the Iraqi Prime Minister earlier this month, Blinken said that the Americans would take matters into their own hands, arguing that Baghdad did not do enough to pursue the perpetrators, according to two Iraqi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to the agency.
In early November, Blinken met with Al-Sudani in Baghdad one day before the Iraqi Prime Minister’s visit to Tehran. Al-Sudani had obtained a specific promise from the armed factions not to launch any attacks during Blinken’s visit, according to an Iraqi official. After the visit, Al-Sudani carried a message from Blinken to Iran to rein in the factions, according to the agency.
I asked [my CBI contact] what the next targeted steps were and I was told that the committee does not even know and were told just to standby and the CBI is going to try to “push” to continue as they are ready for the next step in the process. I was told the IMF is negotiating the new peg for the dinar but to remember it impacts all countries in this new peg not just Iraq. I was told this is close to being completed and should be done this week ending. This lines us up for next week to begin the currency sway [swap ?] out, but they told me it is delayed until further notice.
So, at least we now have a timeline when they did plan it and still could do it based on what happens with the US bombing issue. My contact did reiterate that the process now is irreversible and must go forward. The US had already given assurances they would not back out if the CBI moved ahead. So all I can say is let’s sit tight and watch what does happen in the coming week.
...just recently Iraq now began broadcasting news in-country to the citizens that the dinar is an “issue of a homeland” in a real way...a patriotic video...is telling the people that the dinar is valuable and will revitalize the nation...It DOES NOT say the dinar is going to be stronger than the dollar, but it does tell the citizens they should be very proud of their national currency and that it is very valuable. Valuable at 1/6 of a penny? ...something BIG is about to happen with the dinar...
