KTFA:

Samson:  Overthrowing a network of fraud, fraud and theft of state funds from government banks in Maysan

5th September, 2022

Today, Monday, Maysan Police Command announced the overthrow of a network of fraud, fraud and theft of state funds from government banks in the province.

The leadership said in a statement, that under the direct supervision of the Maysan police chief, the Maysan crime-fighting operation was able to overthrow a network whose criminal operations are active in forgery, fraud and theft of state funds from government banks.  LINK

Samson:  Sulaymaniyah.. Arrest of those accused of pumping counterfeit foreign currency into Chamchamal

4th September, 2022

Asayish (Security) Directorate west of Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan Region announced today, Sunday, the arrest of two accused of dealing in counterfeit foreign currencies in Chamchamal district. 

A statement of the Directorate received by Shafaq News stated that in a joint operation between the forces of the Asayish Directorate, west of Sulaymaniyah, and the forces of the Sulaymaniyah Asayish Directorate, two suspects were arrested in possession of a quantity of counterfeit US dollars based on Article 281 of the Iraqi Penal Code. 

He added that a suspect named (S.H.M) was arrested in possession of a quantity of counterfeit US dollars in denominations of $100, indicating that after searching his home another quantity of the same currency and of the same denomination was found. 

The statement added that a second person named (F.A.H) was arrested on the same charge, pointing out that after the investigation and the search of the first accused's mobile phone, many pictures, video clips and SMS messages were found that talk about the exchange of counterfeit currency and dealing in arms sales.   LINK

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Samson:  Integrity seizes cases of embezzlement, fraud and waste of public money in Najaf

5th September, 2022

The Commission's Investigation Department announced that it had carried out five operations; To control cases of embezzlement, forgery and waste of public money and violations in a number of municipal departments and banks in Najaf Governorate.

A statement by the department stated that the staff of the Najaf Investigation Office carried out three separate seizures in the Kufa Municipality Directorate. The audit division in the municipality. She added that, during a second operation, a "fake" exchange transaction was seized in the municipality in the amount of (6,000,000) million dinars organized by a number of its employees, and its amounts were disbursed in violation of the law.

She explained that the team monitored that the Kufa Municipality had rented a number of its shops at a low price that was not commensurate with its distinguished location. Which led to a waste of public money, as well as its failure to take legal measures against shop owners who violate the terms of the contract.

The department reported that two employees of the Industrial Bank embezzled sums of money from the bank, indicating that the suspects had the password and keys to the ATMs of one of the bank's branches, and they were responsible for following up and filling them out.

It noted the seizure of late-payment loan transactions in the Agricultural Cooperative Bank in "Abu Sakhir", pointing out that the bank's employees did not take legal measures against the borrowers who were reluctant to pay the loan installments, despite the passage of a long period of time after the end of the specified payment period.  LINK

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Samson:  Mafias steal funds from Iraqi prisons in innovative ways

5th September, 2022

Corruption inside Iraqi prisons, according to field sources and eyewitnesses, has reached a serious level.

Journalist Aziz Al-Rubaie wrote that the price of a pot of harissa in the women's prison in Baghdad is 290,000 Iraqi dinars, while the price of the egg layer in Al-Hout prison is 35,000 Iraqi dinars.

Basra, Nasiriyah, Babil and Baghdad prisons top the list of legal violations, as well as financial and administrative corruption from extorting inmates' families, passing through the manipulation of prisoners' daily food.

The most prominent corruption files in the Iraqi reform department are contracts to feed prisoners, which amount to more than 222 million dollars annually, according to information published by the media.

Catering companies control the stores inside prisons through influential officials, to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Prisons suffer from neglect and health failures, in addition to malnutrition.

Activist Akram Al-Kurdi considers prisons an investment, adding: Despite the prisoners' annual allocations estimated at millions of dollars, the prisoner buys most of his needs from the store.

Abdul Rahman Al-Salihi asked: Who can open the prisoners' file, which is controlled by personalities and influential parties?

Asal Nasser commented on Twitter, saying: A kilo of onions costs 5,000 dinars in Taji prison, and a single egg costs 1,000 dinars.  LINK

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Samson:  A parliamentarian reveals an embezzlement deal worth 63 billion dinars in one of the ministries

5th September, 2022

Today, Monday, independent MP Hadi Al-Salami revealed a deal of embezzlement of the Ministry of Electricity amounting to 63 billion dinars of money for collection.  

Al-Salami said in an interview with "Al-Maalouma", that "documents that prove the embezzlement of levy funds in the Ministry of Electricity have been handed over to the Public Prosecution Authority, the Public Integrity Commission and the Office of Financial Supervision in order to investigate and hold those involved to account."  

He added, "The case is now in the Karkh Investigation Court to take legal measures, and we will follow the case to the end until the embezzlers and those involved in this file are revealed."

 He continued, "This case was revealed through the reports of the Integrity Commission, and work is underway on many files and issues tainted by corruption in all ministries and government institutions, after remaining silent before the influential on many corruption deals." 

It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that the Ministry of Electricity has been involved in major corruption cases referred to the judiciary, and this is what caused a lot of suffering for the Iraqi people as a result of the weak electricity infrastructure in Iraq. LINK

Samson:  Central banks participate in the manufacture of modern financial technologies

5th September, 2022

Today, Monday, the Arab Monetary Fund announced the launch of a training course directed to the cadres working in central banks, under the title (Regulatory Frameworks and Legislations for the Industry of Modern Financial Technologies).

A statement by the Fund, received by "Al-Iqtisad News", stated that "the course will continue until the eighth of this month, and is also directed to those concerned with issues of modern financial technology and staff working in capital market authorities and stock exchanges and ministries of finance who are specialized in issues of modern financial technology."

He added, "It aims to deepen the participants' understanding of the regulatory framework for the modern financial technology industry, as well as discussing many axes, the most important of which is building an incubating environment and effective national strategies for modern financial technologies and blockchain technologies."

The course reviews some of the different aspects of regulating modern financial technology activities, such as regulating open financing activities, alternative financing, encrypted financial assets and digital contracts, digital financial services consumer protection frameworks, cyber security, data protection frameworks and customer information privacy, and electronic know-your-customer rules to combat laundering. Funds and financing of the cuticle.

It will also shed light on digital regulatory and supervisory solutions to support the regulatory and supervisory authorities in regulating this industry. LINK

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Samson:  An economist expects oil to continue at $ 100 until the end of 2022

09/04/2022 21:04:45

An economic expert expected, today, Sunday, the continuation of selling oil at a price of $ 100 until the end of 2022.

Safwan Qusay told Al-Furat News that: "We have the last quarter of this year, if Parliament was able to approve the actual spending in these nine months and add the surplus to the investment budget, it would be supportive of all units and the organization of investment projects for the year 2020-2023."  

He added, "The next government will put its vision within the 2020-2023 budget, but we have the money as a result of the rise in oil prices. There is a surplus that covered the Food Security Law, and this surplus can also contribute to creating job opportunities to reduce poverty and unemployment."

Qusay stressed, "Oil rates are still controlled by international companies through the OPEC agreement, and there is a desire by OPEC to maintain the price of a barrel of oil at a price of 100 dollars for the remaining year of 2022, and there may be a commitment to new cuts in order to control prices."

And he indicated, "Russia cannot currently give up the price of oil for it because it is financing a war, as well as Saudi Arabia and the OPEC countries lost oil revenues from 2014-2021, and they are trying to maximize their revenues during this period and have clear capabilities by creating various strategies."

With regard to the delay in approving the federal budget, Qusay explained, “The Iraqi economy faces a problem to transform it into a global economy, as it needs a budget to finance these goals. The process of linking the port of Faw to the European Union needs funds to be placed in the budget, bank revenues and the currency market.”

And Qusay continued, "As we have 9 million poor people in Iraq, fighting corruption lies in creating job opportunities, and this means that the process of placing Iraq within the global investment circle will provide great opportunities to work through the budget, and the survival of the situation as it is now is considered a waste of public money because there is money that goes to the reserves and there Poverty, unemployment and desertification.
 
He stressed, "the need to rehabilitate all federal ministries, as there are 3 million employees in government institutions, and currently the Ministry of Planning has launched the job number program and collected job numbers for these addresses, matching the specialization with the certificate with the job title, and investing those who have retired since 2019 with more than 300 thousand job degrees."

Qusay concluded, by saying, "Iraq can currently release these degrees through the Federal Service Council, and the 2023 budget has to search for what disciplines are required to raise the efficiency of the performance of the economic unit so that we have productive government ministries."  LINK

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Samson:  Finance brings good news to political dismissals

5th September, 2022

Today, Monday, the Ministry of Finance issued orders to appoint the first batch of political dismissals, within the law of emergency support for food security and development.

A ministry statement received by Shafaq News stated, "The Director General of the Administrative and Financial Department, Hassan Salman Al-Makotour, signed orders to appoint 80 employees as the first batch of the political dismissed, based on the Emergency Support Law for Food Security and Development No. 2 of 2022 after the availability of the financial allocation."

The ministry indicated that it "is continuing to implement the paragraphs of the emergency support law for food security and development and is working to complete all administrative and financial procedures for the purpose of issuing subsequent meals to those covered by the political dismissal after the financial allocation is available for the purpose of their appointment."

On August 14, the Ministry of Finance issued instructions regarding the powers of disbursement of Food Security and Development Law No. 2 of 2022.

The ministry called on ministries and agencies not associated with a ministry to review the budget department to receive the instructions. LINK