After the theft of the “Century”, the Council of Ministers decides to contract with one of the major international companies for financial auditing

[RJG]

After the theft of the “Century”, the Council of Ministers decides to contract with one of the major international companies for financial auditing

 

 

politicsbreakinghorn theftInternational auditing company

 2022-11-15 12:29A-AA+

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Council of Ministers decided, on Tuesday, to contract with an international auditing company against the background of “the theft of the century” related to tax insurance funds.

A statement by the Media Office of the Iraqi Council of Ministers was received by Shafak News Agency; “In the field of government efforts aimed at financial auditing of tax and customs deposits, after uncovering the crime of theft of tax security sums that occurred more than a month ago, the Council of Ministers agreed to authorize the Office of the Prime Minister the power to contract with one of the major international companies in financial auditing.”

The statement added that the approval came “for the purposes of auditing tax and customs guarantees, with the exception of Article 3 of the instructions for implementing government contracts, and the Ministry of Planning undertakes to include the project as a component of one of the projects within the investment budget for the year 2022.”

And the regulatory authorities had previously revealed the embezzlement of tax trust funds in the amount of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars, which has become known as “the theft of the century”, and the Iraqi judiciary issued arrest warrants against a number of accused of “the theft of the century” and confiscation of movable and immovable funds and the seizure of real estate belonging to them and their families. .

 

https://shafaq.com/ar/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%89-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A

[RJG]

Parliamentary integrity is in the process of finalizing the initial report on theft of the century and identifying the names of those involved

16th November, 2022
A member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, Vian Dakhil, revealed, on Wednesday, the involvement of big names in the theft of the century of tax secretariats, confirming that her committee is in the process of finalizing the initial report and identifying those involved.

In an interview with Al-Maalouma Agency, Dakhil said, "The investigation committee's work on the theft of the deal of the century reached important and dangerous information, but the large number of people who were mentioned and summoned at the end of the preparation of the report."  She added, "There is dangerous information that cannot be disclosed to the public opinion until after the author of the preliminary report has finished and voted on in the parliament session." 

Dakhil indicated that "there are big and important names involved in the tax secretariat process, which will be mentioned in the author of the report to take the necessary action against them." 

A member of the House of Representatives, Jassem Al-Moussawi, had revealed, in a previous statement, a new theft in the Ministry of Finance, and it is likely that the money for the theft of the century for it would be a little thing.

https://almaalomah.me/news/politics/النزاهة-النيابية-بصدد-انهاء-التقرير-الأولي-بشأن-سرقة-القرن-و

[jg1]

52 minutes ago, RJG said:

Parliamentary integrity is in the process of finalizing the initial report on theft of the century and identifying the names of those involved

16th November, 2022
A member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, Vian Dakhil, revealed, on Wednesday, the involvement of big names in the theft of the century of tax secretariats, confirming that her committee is in the process of finalizing the initial report and identifying those involved.

In an interview with Al-Maalouma Agency, Dakhil said, "The investigation committee's work on the theft of the deal of the century reached important and dangerous information, but the large number of people who were mentioned and summoned at the end of the preparation of the report."  She added, "There is dangerous information that cannot be disclosed to the public opinion until after the author of the preliminary report has finished and voted on in the parliament session." 

Dakhil indicated that "there are big and important names involved in the tax secretariat process, which will be mentioned in the author of the report to take the necessary action against them." 

A member of the House of Representatives, Jassem Al-Moussawi, had revealed, in a previous statement, a new theft in the Ministry of Finance, and it is likely that the money for the theft of the century for it would be a little thing.

https://almaalomah.me/news/politics/النزاهة-النيابية-بصدد-انهاء-التقرير-الأولي-بشأن-سرقة-القرن-و

I’m sure the normal terms are involved. You find nothing or your dead.

[southbeach]

Stupendous 

[edbeach]

At the end of above article
A member of House of Rep, Jassem Al-Moussawi, revealed in a previous statement,new theft in the  

Minister of Finance and it is likely that the money for the theft of century for it would be a little thing. 

[RJG]

 

It was transported by armored vehicles.. New details about the "theft of the century" and a British report alluding to the involvement of "Iraqi factions"

Reports and analyticsCentral Bank of IraqTheft of the century

 2022-11-19 13:56

 

Shafaq News/ The British Financial Times newspaper published an article by Raya Chalabi, in which she talked about the outcome and developments of the theft of 2.5 billion dollars in Iraq, and investigations into the incident, which is the largest of its kind being announced in the country, while hinting at the involvement of "Iraqi factions" in the theft.

The author says that, according to the Ministry of Finance, armored vehicles carrying $2.5 billion belonging to the Iraqi Tax Authority disappeared between September 2021 and August 2022, a scandal that has sparked widespread controversy within the corridors of power since its discovery last month.

She adds that the trucks loaded with tax money left the state-owned Rafidain Bank, and took their usual route to disappear in broad daylight in what is known in Iraq as the "theft of the century."

And he had revealed the merits of this scandal, days before the government of the new Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani, took the constitutional oath, and pledged to give priority to fighting corruption that had spread in all aspects of the state and its institutions, as al-Sudani launched a public purge of the aides of former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, according to the author. .

Sudanese responsibility

The author believes that Al-Sudani - who appears to be an independent politician and enjoys the support of some factions allegedly involved in the scandal - may face difficulty in holding senior members of the political establishment accountable, noting that "the responsibility for this scandal lies with those at the top of the pyramid of power, and many of them are implicated in it." High-level players, including current and former ministers, civil servants and businessmen.

She stated that the "rampant corruption" in Iraq had led to the erosion of state institutions endorsed by the political class that had ruled the country since the overthrow of the late President Saddam Hussein in 2003. Instead of promoting power-sharing, the author adds, "The Iraqi sectarian system contributed to the consolidation of the quota system between the competing factions over Higher government positions and feeding nepotism within ministries.

Involvement of influential parties

Some sources claim - according to the article - that this latest fraudulent scheme involves many powerful and discordant political factions, especially those that unanimously agreed to appoint Al-Sudani, at a time when the new government is subject to the domination of political blocs linked to Iran known as the "coordinating framework", which have fallen out with the loyalists. Rival Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to form a government.

In the course of her article, the author confirms that 5 people familiar with the investigation indicated that the recent scandal casts doubt on both sides who have struggled for power for a long time.

Theft detection

The scandal of embezzlement of $ 2.5 billion - in which the Tax Authority, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance are suspected of being involved - came to the public when the "Finance" revealed the result of an internal investigation that showed that from September 2021 to August 2022 about 250 people were organized. A check for 5 companies, and then the funds deposited in the escrow account intended to cover annual liabilities were withdrawn to accounts controlled by the Tax Authority at the state-run Rafidain Bank.

In a public statement after the embezzlement was revealed, former Finance Minister Ali Allawi - who resigned from the Al-Kazemi government in August 2022 - stated that he had informed Al-Kazemi's office of the scheme in November 2021, and ordered payments from the accounts to be stopped without his approval, but the payments continued, According to Allawi, at a time when an advisor to the former prime minister said that Al-Kazemi's office had not received "official correspondence" from Allawi regarding the embezzlement.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the companies concerned claimed to be working for larger companies, including several international oil companies. However, according to 4 people familiar with the investigation, 3 companies had been established only one month before the implementation of the embezzlement, according to the author.

The Ministry of Finance had revealed that 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars ($2.5 billion) had been withdrawn from the accounts of the Rafidain Bank, which is equivalent to 2.81% of the country's budget for the year 2021, then some of these funds were used to buy dollars from the Central Bank of Iraq.

Suspicions

The author - speaking about the suspicions surrounding the embezzlement process - confirmed in her report that, according to 3 people familiar with the Iraqi banking sector, it is certain that the Central Bank and Rafidain Bank are aware of the process, as the slight increase in dollars that were purchased at the auction was higher. It is usual, as well as the amounts withdrawn were very large,

The same sources explained that "the amount of money transferred daily in Baghdad required armored trucks, and this indicates the involvement of the security services."

She added that the judiciary issued a travel ban against 9 suspects, including 5 high-ranking civil servants in the Tax Authority, the Ministry of Finance, and company directors, and one of them, named Nour Zuhair Jassim, was arrested at the runway of Baghdad International Airport while trying to leave the capital on a private plane.

The article continued that - according to the same sources familiar with the investigation - Jassim is the main suspect, and that the judiciary is investigating his relationship with Al-Kazemi's aides, the Sadrists, and the leaders of the coordination framework, including former Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and the leader of the "Al-Fatah" coalition, Hadi Al-Amiri, and the judiciary summoned one of his advisors. Al-Kazemi for questioning.

Settling scores

While analysts suspect that the investigation is used as a tool to settle scores - according to the author - Renad Mansour, project manager for the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, asserts, "The corrupt and powerful succeed by using their power to target the weaker groups. Anti-corruption mechanisms are often used as a tool for political liquidation."

Analysts stress that in a system of corruption and vested interests, the investigation is likely to stall.

"It is expected that some heads will fly out of the banks, and after that the case will be quietly forgotten," said resident fellow at the Century Center Sajjad Jiyad.

The article concluded that many of the competing political factions in Iraq that are suspected of being involved in this embezzlement, which was described as "great", have shown their willingness to ally with each other to achieve financial gain, which Mansour comments on, "This confirms that corruption is rooted in the Iraqi political system.

https://shafaq.com/ar/تقارير-وتحليلات/نقلتها-عربات-مصفحة-تفاصيل-جديدة-عن-سرقة-القرن-وتقرير-بريطاني-يلمح-لتورط-فصا-ل-عراقية

[RJG]

Al-Fatlawi: It is the duty of the oversight authorities to be explicit about the file of the theft of the century

19th November, 2022
Today, Saturday, a member of the Al-Fatah Alliance, Fadel Al-Fatlawi, called on the government to expedite the recovery of the money stolen from the century and not to delay this matter.

Al-Fatlawi told (Baghdad Today), that "the oversight authorities must take their role in fighting corruption, and there must be high transparency by being frank with the Iraqi people about the fate of the lost funds as a result of suspicions of corruption." He added, "We hope the government will recover more than 3 trillion in what is known as the theft of the century, and hold all those involved in this case accountable."

Al-Fatlawi continued: "These funds, after their recovery, must be transferred to the poor classes and cancer patients, most of whom do not have sufficient funds to provide treatment." He pointed out that "the government has the capabilities and the ability to achieve achievements and fight corruption, so everyone must support the government and support it in order to advance the country's reality."

Earlier, the Iraqi Tax Authority revealed the largest theft of public funds. Where 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars, "2.5 billion dollars" were embezzled from tax secretariats in the Rafidain Bank. 

It should be noted that Nour is not the only one involved, as the Iraqi judiciary announced the involvement of 5 Iraqi companies in stealing public funds. And the court announced that it had summoned dozens of government officials working in the Ministry of Finance, and former deputies, on charges of complicity in this case.

Earlier, the Recovery Department of the Federal Integrity Commission revealed the procedures for pursuing the fugitive accused, "Dia al-Moussawi", in preparation for the issuance of the International Red Notice on the International Criminal Police Organization/Interpol.  

The recovery department in the commission, speaking about the file of recovering the fugitive accused, indicated that it "has begun its procedures to recover the accused who holds the position of Director General in the Intelligence Service, confirming the organization of a recovery file against him in preparation for the issuance of the red notice."    

She added that she "has completed the procedures required to issue an arrest warrant at the level of Arab countries through the security and legal agencies concerned with law enforcement, pointing out that this was done under the direct follow-up and supervision of the Prime Minister (Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani)."    And previously, "a judicial arrest warrant was issued against the accused as a result of charges attributed to him related to corruption crimes represented in oil smuggling and exploitation of his job position.

https://baghdadtoday.news/204923-الفتلاوي-من-واجب-السلطات-الرقابية-ان-تكون-صريحة-بملف-سرقة-القرن.html

[nannab]

Malarki's name better be on the top of the list. Otherwise I don't think this will have a good ending

for the Iraqi people.  Here's a hope-in. 

Thanks RJG