Al-Maksousi: All those wanted to the judiciary receive information to facilitate their departure from Iraq

[Mary B]

Monday, September 21, 2020 01:26 PM

 

Al-Maksousi: All those wanted to the judiciary receive information to facilitate their departure from Iraq

 

 

 

The deputy of the Saeron Raad Al-Maksousi coalition said that the most surprising positions are the issuance of arrest warrants, investigation and travel bans against personalities after their departure from the country, the last of which was issued against Lieutenant General Jamil Al-Shammari.

He added that all those wanted to the judiciary receive information in one way or another to facilitate their departure outside Iraq through some networks, as well as those involved with them in corruption and waste of public money.

Al-Maksousi explained that the dramatic scene of the escape of the corrupt was and is still continuing to bring out influential figures at the highest ladder of the state, calling on Al-Kazemi to reach out to the large heads of corruption that looted hundreds of billions of dollars and smuggled them out of the country in roundabout ways.

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/ar/Story/201743/المكصوصي-جميع-المطلوبين-للقضاء-تصلهم-معلومات-لتسهيل-مغادرتهم-خارج-العراق

[Mary B]

US analysis of 'positions campaigners': a buffer against corruption and 'militias'

2020.09.21 - 11:37

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Baghdad - people  

Researcher at the Washington Institute, Michael Knights, shed light on the leadership changes that economic institutions have recently witnessed, which he considered a clear commitment by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to change the status quo and eliminate corruption that ills the state.  

  

The researcher specializing in Iraqi affairs published a detailed analysis followed by "Nass", (September 21, 2020), under the title "Al-Kazemi Continues to Redistribute Positions (Part Two): Protecting Economic Institutions and Borders in Iraq", in which he indicated that "the scope of ambition for appointments and the central method that It was a great indication of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi's commitment to changing the eroding status quo in Baghdad, "wondering about Al-Kazemi's ability to withstand and confront the forces that benefit from the status quo.   

On September 14, Baghdad announced a set of strategic leadership appointments for institutions charged with overseeing Iraq's economy, its borders, and its anti-corruption efforts - a list that includes banks, customs authorities, airports, ports, land crossings, municipal bodies, investigation committees, and more.  

The ambitious scope of the appointments and the central manner in which they took place are a major indication of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi's commitment to changing the eroding status quo in Baghdad. The question now is whether his government will be able to withstand the coming attempt to block the militia and political elements that benefit from the status quo. Below is a summary of the new technocratic appointments and their consequences; See the first part of this PolicyWatch for a discussion of the recent redistribution of military positions that Al-Kazemi has undertaken.  

  

Protect national systems  

One of the main drivers behind the long-standing increase in militia influence and corruption in Iraq has been the takeover of strategic economic systems by the political blocs that direct the selection and decisions of important officials. The leadership changes that began since Al-Kazemi's rise to power in May aim to liberalize many of these systems and reduce the chances of negative actors taking advantage of them. The official purpose of the September 14 appointments was to replace incumbents whose terms expired in July, but more importantly, the options were not directed at the typical quotas used to share positions between parties.  

Central Bank of Iraq: Mustafa Ghaleb has been appointed as the new governor of the "Central Bank of Iraq" after he served for a long time as head of its legal affairs. As a non-partisan figure with a history of resisting political pressure, he will now take the lead in implementing banking reforms and protecting the dollar bidding process from interference from Iran, militias, and other corrupt actors.  

Iraqi Trade Bank: Salem Chalabi, who was previously an advisor to the Prime Minister, is the new head of the Iraqi Trade Bank. This appointment places a well-known international financial and legal figure at the heart of an agency that has practically monopolized the multi-billion dollar Iraqi market for issuing letters of credit.  

The National Investment Commission: The new chairperson of the commission, Soha Dawood Elias Al-Najjar, is an economist and asset manager who was educated in Britain and has extensive experience in banking and corporate finance.  

Baghdad: Manhal Al-Haboubi is the new mayor of Baghdad, which places him at the head of the municipal body known as the Municipality. Al-Kazemi had previously planned to take on this role himself, but today the city will be in the hands of a world-famous architect and an independent civil engineer - and thus out of the hands of the political parties that would have used him to sponsor networks of patronage and corruption before the next national elections.  

The Securities Commission: The former president of the Iraqi Trade Bank, Faisal Al-Haimas, was appointed as the Chairman of the Securities Commission (Baghdad Stock Exchange). (Previous reports that indicated that Hassan Halbous, Hamza al-Shammari, who was appointed politically, would get this position were incorrect.)  

Integrity Commission: Judge Alaa Jawad Hamid originally headed this commission until 2014, and he has now been appointed to supervise it again. But as the next section demonstrates, this center may not be a place to go for real anti-corruption work.  

Deputy ministers: New deputies were appointed in the basic economic ministries, including oil, transport, electricity, agriculture and labor (two deputies). Emphasis was placed on promoting technocrats to positions within each ministry.  

The Higher Technical Committee for Communications and Information Security: Al-Kazemi revived this apparatus on June 23 after it had been inactive for five years. Militia leaders and allied politicians had colluded to stop his activities in 2015, paving the way for a company controlled by the Lebanese "Hezbollah" to take charge of providing security for the national network in Iraq.  

  

Fight corruption with an iron fist  

On August 27, a new committee to deter corruption was created headed by retired Lieutenant General Ahmed Taha Hashem (also known as Abu Ragheef), a person of legendary toughness (albeit controversial), who had headed the internal affairs of the Interior Ministry during a violent period of infighting. Between the factions in 2004-2005. This committee, which is made up of internal judges and representatives of the "Iraqi National Intelligence Service" (which is still officially headed by Al-Kazemi), the "National Security Service," and the "Counter-Terrorism Service" has the authority to control Evidence and arrests. The first arrest of this kind was carried out in Baghdad on 15 September: Ahmed Al-Saadi, the former director of the National Pension Authority, was arrested.  

In the coming period, this cell is likely to focus on strategic cases of national importance, under the direction of the Prime Minister. To determine its ability to undertake high-impact investigations of the kind called for by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on September 13, al-Kazemi will likely seek support from other legitimate sources - which include Sistani himself as well as Iraqi President Barham Salih, Iraqi protesters, civil society and international organizations.  

  

Protection of borders, airports and customs  

Al-Kazemi's team has quietly moved to consolidate government control over important sources of income, thus securing funds for the cash-strapped government, while denying that money from militias.  

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority: On June 25, the well-known civilian pilot, Nael Saad Abdel-Hadi, was appointed as the new head of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, which allowed the former director to safely retire after militias warned him to resign with his own approval. Then the new leadership began the process of preventing companies controlled by the Iranian-backed "Kataib Hezbollah" militia from bidding on providing ground services and providing security at airports.  

Umm Qasr Port: On July 16, all four directors of the port customs centers in the North, Central, South and Basra, in addition to their deputies, were dismissed. After appointing the replacements, the government deployed army forces to protect the port and the new managers, with units rotating every two weeks to reduce the risk of corruption returning again.  

  

Land crossings: In July, the government deployed new surveillance forces at some of the border crossings that are most subject to militia control in the country - that is Al-Munthiriyah (on the Diyala-Iran highway), Al-Qaim (on the border between Anbar and Syria), and Shalamjah (on the Basra-Iran trade route). ). Physical fortifications have been set up at the last crossing to better direct the movement of vehicles through customs, which is a good first step towards narrowing the borders.  

  

Digitization of border revenues: The contract to digitize customs collection is being accelerated and has been significantly delayed through the still complex procurement process in Iraq.  

  

Implications for US policy  

The Al-Kazemi government attempted to implement an ambitious and dangerous experimental step through the redistribution of economic positions, by focusing the process of selecting candidates to assume strategic roles without much participation from the political blocs. This violates a golden rule in Iraqi politics, which is observance of muhasasa (the entrenched party and ethnic patronage system).  

Accordingly, the latest appointments will require that Al-Kazemi deal with a harsh response from the angry political class, especially the Iranian-backed Fatah Coalition.  

In public circles, Washington should acknowledge these appointments and welcome them calmly. But behind the scenes, U.S. officials and other international partners can celebrate it with confidence as a sign that Al-Kazemi's team is on the right track and ready to take (some) big risks.  

In addition, Washington should urgently seek to develop open Iraqi support for the appointments by quietly engaging the most important politicians and factions - primarily Speaker of Parliament Muhammad al-Halbousi, who often leans at such moments toward the Iran-backed bloc and can guide the assembly. Legislative approval for new officials. Washington should also involve the Kurdish parties, the coalition of "Iraqis" led by Ammar al-Hakim, and prominent figures such as Iyad Allawi and Haider al-Abadi.  

In the absence of American encouragement, these actors may be tempted to criticize the redistribution process in pursuit of their own narrow interests, especially if they suspect that some technocratic appointments serve hidden party agendas. In the past four months, nearly all parties have accused other factions of secretly directing such appointments, even though Al-Kazemi has pursued the less politicized options available to him to select several technocrats.  

Whatever new accusations that may arise, the United States should not be drawn into the finer details of the Iraqi infighting. Instead, it should firmly support the technocratic appointments made by Al-Kazemi, and welcome them as an important step forward. There is no doubt that the “Fatah Coalition” and other elements under Iranian influence will accelerate their efforts to topple the current government, so Washington should clearly indicate al-Halbousi, Kurdish leaders and moderate politicians that they should not reinforce this divisive campaign.  

https://www.nasnews.com/view.php?cat=40820

[DinarDavo]

20 minutes ago, Mary B said:

Al-Maksousi explained that the dramatic scene of the escape of the corrupt was and is still continuing to bring out influential figures at the highest ladder of the state, calling on Al-Kazemi to reach out to the large heads of corruption that looted hundreds of billions of dollars and smuggled them out of the country in roundabout ways.

 

Poor translation.....should read "the potato heads of corruption"