Iraq Economic News and Points To Ponder Late Sunday Evening 9-27-26
Iraq Economic Council Approves Draft 2027 Budget
2026-09-27 Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraq’s Ministerial Council for the Economy approved the draft 2027 federal budget on Sunday and referred it to the Council of Ministers, according to a Finance Ministry document.
Earlier today, the Finance Ministry said it had submitted the draft to the economic council after completing its preparation.
The ministry said the Higher Committee for Budget Preparation, overseen by Finance Minister Faleh Al-Sari, had held a series of meetings with representatives of federal ministries, the Kurdistan Region, and provincial governments, while also consulting Iraqi and foreign financial experts.
Al-Sari said the ministry completed the draft within the required timeframe. The proposal introduces the gradual use of program and performance budgeting in the Electricity Ministry and the provinces of Al-Diwaniyah and Saladin, linking allocations more closely to objectives, measurable results, and the impact of public spending.
The approach is intended to be expanded gradually across other state institutions.
According to the ministry, the draft places particular emphasis on increasing non-oil revenues and strengthening "fiscal discipline".
Al-Sari said last Sunday that the draft also includes a provision allowing contract employees to be transferred to permanent government positions.
Read more: $45B deficit looms over Iraq’s draft 2027 budget
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Iraq-economic-council-approves-draft-2027-budget
The Public Prosecution Clarifies The Mechanisms For The Recovery Of The Defendants And The Fugitive Funds Abroad
Money and business Economy News – Baghdad The Recovery Commission in the Presidency of the Public Prosecution, on Sunday, the mechanisms of recovering the accused and the money smuggled abroad.
A member of the Public Prosecution, Latif Hussein, said that "the Commission is considering the files of recovery received from the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the accused who committed crimes outside Iraq, and a memorandum is submitted by the Chief Prosecutor to the President of the Supreme Judicial Council to obtain his approval to name a competent criminal court to consider the extradition request submitted by the state that committed the criminal act on its territory."
He added that "it is also the task of the Commission to consider requests for letters rogatory and legal assistance received from the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and send them to the competent courts."
Hussein pointed out that "the Commission is also responsible for auditing the recovery files of Iraqi and foreign defendants who committed crimes on Iraqi territory and fled outside Iraq, and received from the competent courts, after receiving a notification from the Ministry of Interior / Directorate of Arab and International Police to arrest them outside Iraq, and deposited with the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the purpose of sending them through diplomatic means to the state on whose territory the accused was found."
Funds and people
Hussein pointed out that "recovery is on two sides, the first is the recovery of funds that have been smuggled to foreign countries, which is a complex and multi-level process, and is one of the important measures to combat corruption and recover stolen assets."
He added that "the recovery of funds may be the competence of the Integrity Commission, based on the law of the Integrity and Graft Commission No. 30 of 2011, but its work is linked to the presidency of the Public Prosecution through the submission of requests for legal assistance, as the approval of the President of the Supreme Judicial Council to send requests for legal assistance to the country in which the funds are to be seized."
With regard to the recovery of persons, the Prosecutor explained that “this is at the heart of the work of the Presidency of the Public Prosecution, on the basis of the provisions of articles 352-368 of the Public Prosecution Code, which provide for the prosecution of the extradition of accused and sentenced persons to the foreign State, taking into account the provisions of international treaties and conventions, the rules of international law and the principle of reciprocity.”
“Requests for legal assistance and letters rogatory are either from the judicial authorities of the foreign state or are issued by the judiciary in Iraq to a foreign state.”
Hussein explained the procedures followed, saying that "if the request is to be handed over to an Iraqi nationality, the request is rejected directly based on the Iraqi Constitution, and then the file is referred to the competent investigative court to take legal action against him, with the state notifying the requester of extradition."
If the person whose extradition is sought is a foreigner, he explains that “a criminal court is called to consider the extradition request, and in the event of approval or disapproval, the decision shall be submitted to the Minister for Foreign Affairs for a statement of opinion, based on the provisions of article 362 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.”
He added that "the opinion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs is then presented to the President of the Supreme Judicial Council exclusively, and in the event of approval from the President of the Council, he is handed over by the Ministry of Interior to the requesting state, but in the event of non-approval of the President of the Council, he is released and notified the requesting state by diplomatic means."
INTERPOL Newsletters
Hussein pointed out that "there are a number of types of bulletins issued by the Arab and International Police Directorate (INTERPOL) to track wanted internationally, and INTERPOL bulletins are the most popular tool of the international organization, as many fugitives are arrested every year thanks to red bulletins, while other types of bulletins are also used to locate missing children and alert the authorities to the methods of work of criminals."
“The Red Notice is a request to arrest a person whose extradition is required, while the Blue Bulletin is used to collect additional information about the identity or whereabouts of a person, and the Greens to warn of the criminal activity of a person who poses a risk to public safety, and the yellow to help find missing persons.”
He added that "the black bulletin is used to inquire about the identities of unknown bodies, and orange to warn of an imminent threat to people or property, while the purple bulletin is used to detect the methods of work of criminals and their techniques, and Interpol issues new silver bulletins to track and track stolen assets and restore them to their owners."
“Based on the provisions of Article 83 of the INTERPOL Data Treatment Regulations, conditions have been established for the issuance of red notices, including that the crime in question constitute a serious common-law crime, and that sufficient elements are available to identify the person, such as the family and personal name, the sex and the date of birth,” Hussein said.
He added that "the required data also include descriptions, DNA, fingerprints and identity documents, such as a passport or national identity, in addition to a summary of the facts of the case, a valid arrest warrant or a judicial decision, the charge against him, the maximum possible penalty or issued against him, or the remaining period of the penalty."
Hussein concluded by saying that "the public prosecution represents the link between the local judicial authorities in the state and international organizations, as it receives requests for recovery from the judicial authorities through diplomatic means, organizes the files of recovery of accused and fugitive convicts, and submits the request to the competent court, the Criminal Court, to consider extradition requests https://www.economy-news.net/content.php?id=74391
US Lifts Objection To Iraq Deputy PM Nominee: MP
Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi secured US approval for an unnamed deputy prime minister candidate who had previously faced an American veto, lawmaker Abu Turab Al-Tamimi told Shafaq News on Sunday.
Al-Zaidi reached the understanding during his latest visit to the United States, with Washington lifting its objection after receiving unspecified guarantees from the prime minister, Al-Tamimi, a member of the Badr parliamentary bloc, said. However, he did not identify the nominee or elaborate on the assurances.
Read more: Source: US objections complicate Iraqi deputy PM picks
Addressing the outstanding cabinet appointments, al-Tamimi said the issue would be resolved after US troops withdraw from Iraq on Sept. 30.
He added that the State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, remains committed to its nominee, Qasim Atta, for the post of interior minister, adding, “We support Atta’s nomination for the position.”
On the suspension of Iranian flights, the lawmaker criticized the measure and argued that restrictions on civilian or military aviation should be imposed through the United Nations or the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)*, rather than unilaterally.
A senior Iraqi government source told Shafaq News earlier on Sunday that Washington had warned Baghdad against allowing Iranian carriers to continue using Iraqi airports, adding that potential penalties could extend beyond already sanctioned airlines to airports, companies, and other entities providing landing, ground handling, refueling, or related services.
Baghdad is negotiating with Washington over possible exemptions for humanitarian and civilian travel that would allow some services to resume without exposing Iraqi airports or companies to penalties, according to the source.
On Sept. 8, the US sanctioned 36 Iran-related targets, focusing on airlines and foreign networks accused of supporting Tehran’s aviation sector and facilitating the movement of weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. Iraq initially issued no nationwide suspension, although airports in Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil, and Al-Sulaymaniyah halted connections with Iran.
Read more: US sanctions reshape Iraq-Iran travel, airline operations
*ICAO is a UN agency that sets international civil aviation standards.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Iraq/US-lifts-objection-to-Iraq-deputy-PM-nominee-MP