Some "Wednesday Iraq News" posted by Samson at KTFA 6-15-2022

KTFA:

Samson:  The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq receives the President of the Union of Arab Banks 

15th June, 2022

His Excellency the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Mr. Mustafa Ghaleb Mukhaif, received the President of the Union of Arab Banks, Mr. Wissam Fattouh, at the headquarters of the Central Bank in Baghdad.

The two sides discussed ways to support the Iraqi banking sector, and mechanisms of cooperation in the field of banking services within its Arab regional sphere.  

The meeting took place in the presence of the President of the Association of Iraqi Private Banks.

Central Bank of Iraq
Media Office   June 15, 2022   LINK

Samson:  Al-Fateh Alliance Confirms .. The 2022 Budget Will Be Passed After The Formation Of The New Government

15th June, 2022

The representative of the Al-Fateh Alliance, Suhaila Al-Sultani, explained that the 2022 budget will be passed after the formation of the new government, pointing out that the country's situation needs to speed up resolving matters, forming the government and passing the budget.

Al-Sultani said in a press statement, which was monitored by The Independent, that "the general budget for 2022 did not witness parliamentary moves in the past days before the start of the legislative recess for the House of Representatives, as the moves were mostly towards passing the Food Security Law."

She added that "the entirety of the political parties and the House of Representatives are awaiting the formation of the new government, which, after taking power, will witness presenting the budget in order to read and vote on it under the dome of Parliament."

Al-Sultani indicated, "The current situation cannot be continued, as the country needs to expedite the formation of the government, at a time when the political process witnessed many changes after the resignation of the Sadrist bloc from the House of Representatives."   LINK

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Samson:  Parliament: The Silk Road And The Port Of Faw Will Make Iraq A Gateway To Global Investment

14th June, 2022

Tuesday, the representative of Basra Governorate, Rafiq Hashem, considered the completion of the Grand Faw port project and joining the Silk Road project, as two essential pillars in maximizing the national economy by attracting foreign investment to Iraq.

Hashem said in a statement to the "Information Agency", that "the Great Mina Al-Faw project and the Silk Road are among the basic and central priorities facing the work of the next government because of their positive impact on the economic reality throughout Iraq."

He added, "The Chinese Silk Road and the Great Port of Faw project will make Iraq a gateway to foreign investments and the focus of attention of the countries of the world."

Hashem pointed out that "the Al-Faw port project will revive the Iraqi economy through the financial revenues generated from trade exchange between the countries of the East and West."

Experts consider the great port of Al-Faw, which is located in the Ras Al-Bishah area in the province of Basra, a qualitative leap in its geopolitical importance to link Iraq with the world by restoring the importance of the linking site between East and West.   LINK

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Samson:  Kurdistan returns more than one billion dinars from double salaries to the treasury

15th June, 2022

The Kurdistan Regional Government announced today, Wednesday, the return of more than two billion Iraqi dinars to the region's budget after reaching a solution to the "double-salary issue", and while it indicated that it had organized the preparation and salaries of the Peshmerga forces, it confirmed its intention to establish a bank that would be linked to the Central Bank of Iraq.

The spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government, Gutiar Adel, said in a press conference held today, in Erbil, and followed by Shafak News Agency, that "the cabinet meeting today, and within the current reform steps, dealt with reaching the presence of about 23 thousand people with double salaries, who receive Two salaries, the situation was resolved and more than one billion Iraqi dinars returned to the budget.”

Adel added, "The files of (1018) martyrs who fell in the battles against ISIS were also transferred to the Ministry of Martyrs, so that their families receive pension salaries, and 19 billion Iraqi dinars have been allocated as tuition fees for the families of the martyrs and political prisoners."

And the government spokesman added, "The number of Peshmerga forces and their salaries have been organized, as their number has reached 57 thousand after it was 43 thousand people, and we are in the process of building a bank in the name of Nishtiman Bank and it will be linked to the Central Bank of Iraq."

And yesterday, Tuesday, the Finance Committee of the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region reported that the salaries of thousands of people who receive more than one salary illegally have been cut off.

According to the deputy head of the committee, Hevidar Ahmed, 984 people were registered as martyrs and were receiving the salaries of the martyrs, and they were distributed among the provinces of the region, with 274 people in Erbil, 618 in Sulaymaniyah, and 119 in Dohuk.

Ahmed added that 4,189 people were receiving two salaries, and among them were those who were receiving two pension salaries, and among them were also those who were receiving two salaries as employees, indicating that 254 people were receiving salaries as ministerial agents, governors, deputy governors, general managers, governors and district managers, while they were not They have a place to work, pointing out at the same time that nearly 20 billion dinars were spent for the tuition fees of the martyrs' children.  LINK

Samson:  Revealed "diabolical methods" of currency smuggling and money laundering in Iraq

06/14/2022 23:46:27

 The economic expert, Qusai Safwan, revealed methods he described as "satanic" in currency smuggling and money laundering in Iraq.

  Safwan said; For the program {Al-Mastra} broadcast by Al-Furat satellite channel tonight: “There is individual corruption on a moral level, and there are companies that are established to smuggle money. They started investing in real estate to launder money."

He added, "Some companies change the gender of the goods, inflate prices and contribute to currency smuggling outside Iraq, and the Ministry of Planning should set an import mechanism according to general needs."

Safwan pointed to "the necessity of coordinating the relationship between the needs of Iraqis, import licenses and the currency sale window, and checking the transaction from the economic annex to reduce the phenomenon of currency smuggling, and to set a list of white companies to deal with, because there are companies established for money laundering." 

And he stated, "There are companies working on money laundering and employees manipulating customer accounts, and government banking products do not exceed 15%. Financial transactions must be moved by eliminating the corrupt dinar, which in turn will lead to the organization of the currency auction and requires banks to investigate the customers' money. The banking system is responsible for knowledge".

Safwan noted, "Billions of stolen money are changed in gender and re-entered into Iraq by international mafias," adding, "Iraqi banks are strictly under the control of the Central Bank, but it is not responsible for checking bank bills."

He announced "67 private Islamic and commercial banks in Iraq in which the process of evading responsibility is practiced and they are subject to the authority of the Central Bank of Iraq. As for most of the agricultural initiative's money, it went to real estate investments," pointing out "

Regarding the criteria for loans and the interest imposed on them, Safwan explained, “The debt burden is high in the Iraqi environment, as there is 30% of the banks’ liquidity with the Central Bank of Iraq to guarantee deposits, and 70% of the banks’ liquidity is not allowed to be invested due to complications, so the interest on loans rises, and the current inflation rate In Iraq, it reached 8%. LINK

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Samson:  Integrity: We carried out 54 seizures in May

15th June, 2022

The Commission's Investigation Department disclosed the total of the seizures carried out by its directorates and investigation offices during the month of May, noting that it carried out 54 seizures in Baghdad and the governorates, which resulted in the arrest of 30 suspects.

In a statement received by Mawazine News, the department stated that "the work team of the Commission's investigation office in Diwaniyah seized an agricultural contract that has not been renewed since 1990, in addition to the failure of the Agricultural Division in the area where the property has an area of ​​3,952 acres to take legal measures against violators.

Termination of the contract and preventing them from using it without legal basis,” pointing out that “the rent allowances were not collected and several circulars were issued to terminate the contract, but they were not implemented.”

And the department added, "The Nineveh Investigation Directorate seized cases of the seizure of state-owned lands that were cut up and sold in violation of the controls and without obtaining the approval of the concerned authorities," while it revealed "the non-use of medical devices that the Najaf Health Department purchased from Spain for an amount of (1,140,000,000) billion dinars." She explained that "the equipment is left behind, despite the training of the cadre in the country of origin."

And she confirmed that "the work team of the Karbala Investigation Office seized suspicion of fraud in the investment license granted to the Karbala Canning Company and one of the contracting companies," noting that "the value of wasting public money amounted to (21,185,995,200) billion dinars."

And she continued, "In Diyala Governorate, (8) transactions were seized in the Directorate of Baqubah Municipality, due to the employees selling them at a price less than the real value," noting that "the sale process took place in accordance with Law No. (25 of 2013), in addition to the arrest of accused and (16). A file for shops, kiosks and squares that are used by people and whose rents are collected in agreement with employees in the municipality of Baquba, despite its closed markings, on the pretext that there is no desire to rent, contrary to reality. 

And she indicated that "in Kirkuk governorate, suspects were arrested for embezzling an amount of (100,000,000) million dinars from the agricultural bank in Hawija, as well as the priorities of the project to restore the veterinary clinic building in Al-Multaqa district, due to suspicion of corruption."  LINK