Iraq .. Referral of 20 officials to the judiciary on charges of corruption

[yota691]

Iraq .. Referral of 20 officials to the judiciary on charges of corruption

Demonstrators in Baghdad hold banners denouncing corruption (Reuters)

2/1/2021

 

Member of the Iraqi Parliament, Representative Jamal Al-Muhammadawi, said that the number of officials referred to the judiciary on corruption charges reached 20 out of 333 who were referred to trial in absentia.

Al-Muhammadawi added - in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency - that the convictions included 4 ministers and 7 general managers, out of 198 accused of cases related to corruption files at the Ministry of Electricity.

He added that those with the rank of director general were referred to the courts in absentia, and their number is 27, indicating that the other category, which is less than a general manager, and their number reaches more than 285, were also referred in absentia.

According to the same source, 72 officials, including two ministers, have been bailed out.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Amir Fandi said that two thirds of the files that were referred to the judiciary are related to the electricity sector, pointing to estimates that successive Iraqi governments since 2003 have spent at least $ 80 billion on this sector.

He added that Iraqi sources estimated the money that was wasted in the electricity sector due to corruption during this period at about $ 60 billion.

The correspondent added that the large number of corruption files that the judiciary will consider may require a long time to decide, indicating that the political factor may play a role in determining the fate of some corruption cases.

The fight against corruption was one of the main slogans of the protests in Iraq for more than a year, in which hundreds of people were killed and thousands were wounded.

[aj1]

It’s a start.  Thanks Yota!

[yota691]

Iraq: parliament refers corruption files to judiciary

 

January 22, 2021 at 9:54 am | Published in: Iraq, Middle East, News

A parliamentary session at the Parliament Building in Baghdad, Iraq on 3 September 2018 [Haydar Karaalp/Anadolu Agency]

 

January 22, 2021 at 9:54 am

 

The head of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee in Iraq revealed on Wednesday that it has referred 46 corruption files related to the electricity sector to the Court of Integrity, Iraq News agency has reported.

First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hassan Karim Al-Kaabi, stressed that the committee takes into account "impartiality and transparency and checks all information… Corruption files are now subject to Iraqi Judicial Authority investigations."

Last July, the Iraqi parliament formed a committee to investigate the contracts signed by the Ministry of Electricity during the period 2005 to 2010, following the decline in electricity production in the country. Five months later, the parliament said that the total spending by the ministry on contracts during this period was around $81 billion.

Iraq produces 19,000 megawatts of electricity, but it needs more than 30,000.

[currenzcraze]

So the vomiting yesterday was a warning about moving forward with corruption files.  Iran does not like loosing their key people.

[yota691]

Referring 46 corruption files in the contracts of the Ministry of Electricity to the competent courts

 

A man stands near an electrical station. "Internet"

energy Economy News - Baghdad The head of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee in charge of auditing and investigating the contracts of the Ministry of Electricity, Representative Hassan Al-Kaabi, revealed that 46 corruption files had been referred to the competent courts, and confirmed that the committee continues its work in checking the contracts made by the ministry over the past years. Al-Kaabi said that "the 62nd Parliamentary Order Committee to investigate contracts of the Ministry of Electricity has handed over 56 files to the Integrity Commission, 46 of which were referred to the competent courts and are still under investigation." According to "Al-Sabah." He added, "The investigation committee will send a new set of files that contain suspicions of corruption from the Ministry of Electricity to the Integrity Commission and the Board of Financial Supervision, which exercise a broader and more accurate oversight role, and make great efforts to complete the investigation and audit those files." He explained that "the investigation committee takes into account the application of the principle of impartiality and transparency in its work, and checks all the information received or obtained, which may include incorrect information, as this file is dangerous and sensitive." He pointed out that "the investigation committee into contracts of the Ministry of Electricity continues to filter all the files it has, and divide them according to the size of corruption. If these files are large and dangerous, they are referred to the competent court by an official letter from the Integrity Commission, and if they are below the level of risk of wasting public money, the investigation committees It is estimated that it will be submitted to the trial judge or not. " The repentant noted that "all these files will be subject to the judiciary authority’s assessments to decide on them through referring them to the criminal court or releasing those accused of those files."

Number of observations 115   Date added 01/21/2021