KTFA:

Samson:  Parliamentary Finance decides to host the Ministers of Finance and Trade next Wednesday

28th March, 2022

Today, Monday, the committee decided to host the ministers of finance and trade, next Wednesday, to discuss the financial abundance and the ration card.

The committee stated, according to the official agency, that "the Parliamentary Finance decided to host the ministers of finance and trade, next Wednesday, to discuss the financial abundance and the ration card, provided that during the next week, it will host the ministers of finance, electricity, planning, agriculture, labor and trade, a number of relevant officials and the Governor of the Central Bank to discuss the related files." 

Today, the Council held its session headed by Al-Halbousi and attended by 258 deputies.   LINK

Samson:  For The First Time In Iraq... Launching The Electronic Customs Declaration

28th March, 2022

The General Authority of Customs announced, on Monday, a comprehensive plan to reduce the evasion of paying customs duties, while referring to the work of the electronic customs declaration for the first time in Iraq.

The Director-General of Customs, Shaker Al-Zubaidi, said in a declaration that the Iraqi News Agency reported that "the authority launched the service of working with the customs declaration at the Al-Mundhiriya port," noting that "it will be gradually generalized in all customs centers and directorates across the country." He added, "The service, which falls within the framework of the use of modern information and communication technology, aims to verify the validity of goods subject to the tax mark, eliminate forgery of customs links by examining the data related to them and getting rid of the paper declaration, in addition to eliminating the monthly deportation of the permit by setting up The direct server system between the customs centers and the general headquarters.

He pointed out that "the launch of the permit service under the supervision of Minister of Finance Ali Allawi comes to achieve the objectives of the first phase of the automation system, reduce the number of documents and reduce logistical costs for exporters and importers by simplifying and rationalizing procedures, benefiting from the promising capabilities of technology and the digital economy, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of regulatory control over the flow of goods and merchandise, as well as On improving competitiveness, management efficiency, transparency and partnership between government agencies and economic actors (investors and manufacturers). He added, "The automation system will allow the concerned person or his authorized representative to attach the required documents to the statement before leaving the export port or before arriving in the country, so that customs procedures can be completed according to the documents submitted and attached to the brief statement before arrival."

In another context, Al-Zubaidi stated that "there is a comprehensive and discreet plan to reduce the evasion of customs duties and smuggling at all levels, as well as the issuance of new strict controls in support of the validity of customs permits for companies and banks for the currency auction at the Central Bank." He pointed out that “the authority issued four directives regarding the validity of the issuance of customs permits. It included: the customs centers confirming the validity of the issuance of the automated customs declaration in the electronic calculator database and the manual declaration at the Customs Affairs and Inspections Department, according to the applicable context, as well as approaching the departments of the Ministry of Land, Maritime and Air Transport operating at border ports for the purpose of confirming the validity of the issuance of the manifests issued by them and special delivery orders. entry into the cargo.

He added, "The directives also included demanding all receipts of fees and the validity of their issuance, as well as approaching the tariff audit department at the authority's headquarters for the purpose of matching automatic and manual permits and supporting the validity of their issuance." He pointed out, "The General Authority of Customs recently announced the launch of its first service (customs electronic inquiry for wheels), on the authority's official website, allowing citizens to inquire about customs transactions procedures for wheels, without the need to bother reviewing the authority."  LINK

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Samson:  Customs Adopts Advanced Digital Systems To Manage Human Resources And Electronic Permits System

28th March, 2022

The General Authority of Customs announced today, Monday, the adoption of advanced digital systems to manage human resources and the electronic permit system.

A statement by the authority received by Earth News stated, "The Director General of the General Authority for Customs, Shaker Al-Zubaidi, chaired today, Monday, a meeting that included a number of directors of the authority's headquarters departments and programmers charged with preparing software to manage two systems, the first for managing electronic permits and the second system for human resources management."

The statement added that "the authority's cadres prepared two systems, the first for the management of customs permits, which adopted modern technology that will provide several points, including: -

Cancellation of the monthly deportation of the customs transaction.

Manipulation and fraud customs receipt.

Scheduling and organizing exemptions with an accurate database.

Linking the sections of each border post with the headquarters of the Commission.

Register the data of customs clearance agents and importers.

An electronic interface for customs matters that include exemptions and deferred fees.

Knowing the authorized and deducted quantities and knowing the remaining quantities.

Include the formatted code to know the materials by quantity and category and to know the remaining quantities.

The system has the ability to quickly complete electronic permits at a maximum speed and detect fraudulent customs permits with high data security.

The statement pointed out that “the second system, which will manage the human resources working in the authority, where the system was designed with modern technology, is the first government department to implement such a system that will achieve a number of goals, including: –

Save all administrative employee movements.

Know the movement of the angel.

Provides various customized reports.

He pointed out that "this step comes within the framework of the serious and accelerated steps taken by the authority to move to the digital world and leave paperwork to become one of the first departments to contribute to the transition to e-government."  LINK

Samson:  Integrity reveals the issuance of arrest warrants and the recruitment of officials in 3 governorates

03/28/2022 09:32:17

The Integrity Commission revealed the issuance of arrest and summons orders against a number of officials in the governorates of Babil, Diwaniyah and Maysan; Against the background of cases of violations, embezzlement, and intentional harm to the interests of the parties in which they work.

The Commission's Investigation Department, in its discussion of the details of arrest and recruitment orders, indicated that the Karkh Investigation Court, which is specialized in looking into integrity issues, issued an arrest and investigation order against the former governor of Babylon; For committing violations in the purchase of waste containers that were prepared for the Babylon Governorate Diwan without requests for need or submitting offers from competing companies, as well as not forming procurement committees and not entering them in stock.
 
The department added that the Diwaniyah Investigation Court, which is competent to look into integrity issues, issued an arrest warrant and investigation against the former head of the Diwaniyah Provincial Council on the issue of issuing an order from the council that includes allocating an amount of 25% of the revenues generated from selling iron and scrap at the Diwaniyah tire factory of the General Company for Rubber and Tire Industries for the benefit of the public. Provincial Council.
 
It confirmed that the investigative court specialized in integrity issues in Maysan Governorate issued an order to bring in the general manager of the Maysan Oil Company; For his failure to report the crime that was admitted by the fugitive accused, director of the individual accounts department and the official of the payments division in the company, represented in embezzling an amount of one billion and 320 million dinars and forging seals and signatures on exchange documents; This facilitated the escape of the accused against whom an arrest warrant was issued with the embezzled amounts. The department explained that the arrest and recruitment orders were issued in accordance with the provisions of Resolution (160 of 1983) and Articles (340 and 315) of the Iraqi Penal Code No. (111 of 1969).

It is worth noting that the authority revealed on the seventh of this March that the amount of one billion and 320 million dinars was embezzled through the repeated disbursement of salary documents and statements to employees of the Maysan Oil Company.   LINK

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Samson: Europe freezes 120 million euros in Lebanese assets

28th March, 2022

The European Judicial Cooperation Unit "Eurogast" announced today, Monday, that France, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco and Belgium have frozen Lebanese assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) following an investigation into a money laundering case, indicating the confiscation of five properties.

The unit said in a statement, that the investigation targeted five suspects on charges of money laundering and "the embezzlement of public funds in Lebanon worth more than $330 million and five million euros, respectively, between 2002 and 2021."

The statement did not specify the identity of the suspects. A Eurojust spokesman declined to reveal the names of the suspects, in line with regulations.

"Eurojust" participated in coordinating the inter-state meetings that are investigating the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, who is suspected by Swiss prosecutors of embezzling about $330 million with his brother Raja, and his close assistant, Marianne Howayek. At least four other countries, including Germany, France and Luxembourg, are also investigating with Salameh.

A diplomat from one of the countries where the assets were identified confirmed that this step is related to the investigations into Salameh and his brother, according to the "Reuters" agency. 

A central bank spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. 

The statement said that the confiscated assets included about 35 million euros in Germany, which included real estate in Hamburg and Munich, two real estate complexes in Paris worth 16 million euros, and bank accounts in Monaco worth 46 million euros. "Despite the conclusion reached so far, the accused in the main investigation are presumed innocent until proven guilty under the law," the statement said.

In April last year, two complaints targeting Salama and his large fortune in Europe were filed with the anti-corruption prosecutor in Paris. Salama stresses that all his money is authorized and legal and that he accumulated his wealth from what he inherited and through his career in the financial sector.

According to Le Monde newspaper, the governor of the Banque du Liban clarified, last year, that “his personal assets amounted to $23 million” when he took office in 1993, and that “the increase in his wealth since then was caused by investments that do not conflict with the obligations associated with his duties,” which experts deny. Lebanese law.

Since 2019, Lebanon has witnessed the worst economic crisis in its contemporary history, a collapse in the value of the national currency, and the imposition of banking restrictions prohibiting bank transfers outside the country.  LINK