Nassif Allawi: Whales of corruption are feeling safe

Baghdad / NNC- Deputy Alia Nassif, on Monday, called on Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi to “fulfill his promises” and open corruption files “seriously” and refer spoilers to the judiciary, saying that “whales of corruption are feeling safe”.

Nassif said in a statement that NNC obtained a copy of it, “It is financial corruption that has brought the country into what it is today from many crises and problems that have been reflected in all areas of life. The mafias expanded and spread their arms to various sectors of the state, and they now have offices and companies abroad that manage corruption at home, coordinate and conclude suspicious deals and charge commissions.

Nassif added, “Whoever intends to stand up to all this corruption must ask: What files do we start with? The answer is that the file of electricity and energy is the one that deserves to start investigating its corruption, because this important vital sector is the most corrupt, with terrifying numbers equivalent to the budgets of countries.

Nassif stressed “the importance of (Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq) Allawi proceeding to open corruption files seriously in order to gain the confidence of the people in the transitional period and for these measures to be calculated as an achievement recorded for him if he had the courage and courage”

Nnciraq.com

Allawi pledges to close down the economic offices of the armed factions and refer the corruption files to the judiciary without hesitation

Baghdad / Al-Ikhbaria: Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi vowed, on Saturday, to close down the economic offices of armed factions and transmit corruption files to the judiciary without hesitation.

Allawi said in a televised speech followed the “news” I pledge to close the economic offices of the armed factions and to refer the files of corruption to eliminate without hesitation. ”
He added , ” I extend my thanks to the President of the Republic, Halbusi, deputies and powers of parliamentary and activists, trade unions and all those who placed their trust in us through the assigned task, and I extend thanks sincere to The reference to its patriarchal and directive role for all our dear countrymen.

Allawi explained,“ The blood of the martyrs from the demonstrators and the security forces will not be in vain, ”stressing that“ the state’s weapon will not be carried against the people but rather to protect the borders and enhance security. ”

He continued, “I affirm my keen interest in following up the investigation events against the demonstrations and holding those responsible for the violence and those causing the sabotage public and private property, and I pledge to form a government that is far from narrow partisan quotas.”

He continued, “I salute with appreciation and honor the peaceful demonstrators martyrs,” stressing: “I strive for a serious attempt to build a state of citizenship and institutions, and a state of justice, freedom, welfare and peace.”

Ikhnews.com

Iraq protests: Mohammed Allawi named prime minister

Iraq has named a new prime minister after four months of protests.

Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, a former communications minister, was appointed by President Barham Salih.

His predecessor Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in November, amid mass anti-government demonstrations. Hundreds of protesters have been killed.

Mr Allawi now has a month to form a new government, which he will lead until early elections. He immediately expressed support for the protests.

Earlier this week, local media reported that President Saleh had given parliament an ultimatum to decide on a new prime minister before he took the decision himself, after previous candidates were rejected by protesters.

In a video released on his social media accounts on Saturday, Mr Allawi announced that he had been nominated and called on Iraqis to continue protesting until their demands were met.

“If not for your sacrifices and your bravery, there would have been no change in the country,” he said. “I believe in you, and for this reason I will ask you to continue protesting.”

He promised to hold those responsible for the killing of protesters accountable and to combat corruption.

Mr Allawi, who is Shia, studied and worked in Lebanon and the UK before entering Iraqi politics following the 2003 invasion. He served as minister of communications twice.

BBC.com

Mohammed Allawi appointed new Iraq PM, protesters reject him

Ex-minister named as Iraq prime minister-designate, but anti-government demonstrators say he is part of ruling elite.

Baghdad, Iraq – Anti-government protesters in Iraq were quick to dismiss President Barham Salih’s appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as prime minister-designate, as rallies took place in the capital and cities in the country’s southern provinces.

The president’s announcement came after he issued an ultimatum to Iraq’s fractious parliament, warning that if they did not appoint a new premier by Saturday he would do so himself.

But anti-government protesters did not welcome the announcement, with hundreds in the capital’s Tahrir Square chanting “Mohammed Allawi, rejected!”, videos posted on social media showed.

In the southern city of Nasiriyah, protesters issued a statement saying they categorically rejected Allawi’s selection.

“He is the compromised candidate that belongs to the sectarian power sharing political system (muhasasa) we are protesting against, and does not represent the aspirations of the protest sites,” the statement said. “Based on this, our response will be to escalate things stronger than on previous occasions.”

Allawi’s appointment, the statement continued, was brought about “by the same criminal, corrupt class that brought us to where we are now”.

Since October, anti-government protesters have called for a complete overhaul of the country’s ruling political elite and an end to corruption. Their demands include the appointment of a politically independent candidate as prime minister, early elections, and holding accountable those who have killed at least 500 protesters so far.

Despite ex-prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi formally resigning on November 30, he agreed to continue in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister was chosen, with the resulting deadlock leading protesters to accuse the government of deliberate stalling.

‘We will escalate’

Allawi, 65, served as a communications minister under the government of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki in 2006 and 2010. Two years later, he resigned from his post, accusing al-Maliki of “political interference” in his ministry.

Moments after his appointment was announced, Allawi shared a pre-recorded video on his Twitter page, where he addressed the protesters directly.

“My power is derived from you,” he began. “If it were not for your courage and sacrifices then there would have been no changes in the country.”

“You protested for your homeland, and if I am not able to fulfill your demands that I am unworthy of this position,” he added.

However, protesters in the capital reacted with dismay, saying that he represented the old ruling elite.

One protester, 25-year-old Yousef Abd, said there is “no doubt we reject Allawi in the position of prime minister”.

“If the government insists on forcing him on us we will definitely escalate things,” he told Al Jazeera via telephone from Tahrir Square.

Mohammed Aqeel, another protester agreed.

“The general feeling from most protest sites is that they view Allawi as being cut from the same cloth as the politicians in power,” he told Al Jazeera. “He belongs to the same system we don’t want.”

According to Aqeel, large student demonstrations were expected to take place on Sunday against Allawi’s appointment, which he hoped would unite the protest movement in Tahrir.

Earlier on Saturday, skirmishes had taken place between Sadrist supporters and politically independent protesters, after the former took over the strategic Turkish restaurant building and drove out the other protesters from there.

The Sadrists, along with members of an affiliated militia Saraya al-Salam, had rejoined the protest a week after their leader and head of the largest bloc in parliament Muqtada al-Sadr announced his withdrawal. But on Friday, Sadr called for a renewal of “the peaceful reformist revolution”.

Test of ‘independence’

Sajad Jiyad, managing director of Bayan Centre, a think-tank, told Al Jazeera there had been an agreement between the largest parties in Parliament to nominate Allawi.

“Now that has happened we can expect a lot of negotiation around cabinet formation and this will be a test to see how much independence Allawi has and how much support for his nominees to the cabinet he can get from the parties in Parliament,” he said.

Jiyad added that protesters who have rejected Allawi’s nomination believe he will be “beholden to the same political system they accuse of corruption and are protesting against”.

Political analyst Sarmad al-Bayati, said it was still too early to see what affect the appointment of Allawi would have.

“Allawi was not a new name to be suggested as a candidate … But I don’t think he represents the aspirations of the Iraqi people,” he told Al Jazeera.

“He will probably face the same limitations that Adel Abdul Mahdi experienced,” he noted.

According to the constitution, a replacement for Abdul Mahdi should have been identified fifteen days after his resignation in early December. Instead, it has taken rival blocs nearly two months of jockeying to select Allawi as their consensus candidate.

Abdul Mahdi’s rise to power was the product of a provisional alliance between parliament’s two main blocs – Sairoon, led by Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, and Fatah, which is headed by Hadi al-Amiri and includes leaders associated with the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF, or Hasdh al-Shaabi).

Aljazeera.com

Serious Questions on the Appreciation of Iraqi Dinar

The Iraqi Economists Network (IEN) has just published a new report from our Expert Blogger Dr Amer K. Hirmis:

M. Saleh’s testimony re: the appreciation of Iraqi Dinar in 2006-8, raises serious questions?

The purpose of this note is to shed light, and comment, on two views expressed recently in relation to the appreciation of the Iraq Dinar (IQD) in 2006-2008.

Muhammad Tawfiq Alawi (henceforth M. Alawi), former minister of communications in Iraq, gave a talk on December 13, 2019 in Washington D.C. to an Iraqi audience, in which he mentioned the appreciation of the Iraqi Dinar (IQD) during 2006-2008 as an example of lack of economic planning in Iraq.

Mudher Muhammad Saleh (henceforth M. Saleh), former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), and currently finance advisor to the outgoing prime minister, responded the following day, in an article published at the ‘Iraqi Economists Net.’

This note focuses on two observations, set out below:

Firstly, that the “independence” of the CBI was compromised in negotiating and signing a ‘Stand-By Agreement’ with the IMF in late 2005.

Secondly, by following the IMF programme in Iraq, the CBI’s administration focused its attention on limited instruments of monetary policy as dictated by the IMF, and much less on contributing to national economic growth and leveraging badly needed major structural changes in the economy.

Iraq-businessnews.com

The strategy of the Central Bank of Iraq (2016-2020) is a systematic application of banking reform

The Central Bank of Iraq launched its strategy for the years 2016-2020 in conjunction with Iraq facing an economic and financial crisis because of the global oil price drop by more than 70% and a security crisis by occupying terrorism up to 40% of the country’s lands. At the time, an economic situation is cruel, complicated, and full of risks, confusion, confusion, and chaos at the level of internal and external economic and financial relations, which is important to us as specialists in economic and banking affairs. What are the new mechanisms and policies adopted by the Central Bank and The government and private banks and related parties regarding banking reform, according to the desired fundamental change approach to the national economy contained in the strategy, which constitutes the banking sector, the first and primary link in it.

The central bank strategy has defined and charted the path for banking reform according to the following main objectives:

* Supporting and achieving financial stability.

* Activating the role of the banking sector and financial institutions.

* Developing the organizational structure and organizational structure.

* Development of human capital.

* Activating and integrating internal and external relations.

Since these strategic goals have been defined as a period of five-year applications for achieving 23 sub-goals that I derive from, based on achieving financial stability, establishing the financial system, generalizing financial inclusion, and achieving institutional and structural reform for the banking sector in Iraq.

Through an analysis of the mechanisms and work points to achieve the above goals, we note that the strategy set clear priorities for achieving reform and certainly that these priorities were diagnosed in light of the challenges facing the banking sector due to the stifling economic and financial crisis that Iraq suffers from for subjective and objective reasons which can be diagnosed as follows:

* Working to achieve the objectives of monetary policy, the most important of which are the stability of the exchange rate, the maintenance of the purchasing power of the Iraqi dinar, the rate of inflation, and the building of a foreign monetary reserve.

* Work to restore the confidence of citizens and customers in the Iraqi banking sector.

* Working to increase the ratio of savings to the cash mass in circulation in banks to the percentage of hoarding outside the banks, where the savings rate reached 23% and the percentage of compactness 77%. Increase the percentage of financial inclusion and the delivery of banking services to the widest spread of geographical area and at the level of governorates, districts and districts, and increase banking density in this direction.

* The necessity of completing the structural and technical pillars of proactive monitoring.

* Establishing and activating the Deposit Guarantee Company and issuing a law to combat money laundering and the Islamic Banking Law and reviewing the legislative environment laws that regulate banking work.

* Reviewing and evaluating the results of the banks ’business and reclassifying them by approved international companies. And identify weak banks that need the intervention of the Central Bank of Iraq to rehabilitate, re-activate and protect them from bankruptcy.

* Claiming government support and assistance and compensation for the banks that were damaged in the provinces occupied by ISIS.

* The need to strengthen and activate the initiative of the Central Bank in financing small and medium projects in a manner that contributes to stimulating the economic cycle and diversifying the resources of the public budget.

* The necessity of reviewing the organizational, technical, and administrative structure of the Iraqi Central Bank and government and private banks while confirming the principles of governance and determining the intervention of owners in the executive departments of banks.

Therefore, and for the purpose of applying the banking reform approach in accordance with what was stated in the strategy according to an insight into the priorities and challenges faced by the Iraqi banking sector, the Central Bank made exceptional efforts during the previous years of the strategy and achieved many goals from the primary and subsidiary goals and tries to complete achieving all the goals in the year 2020, the last year of The strategy. Therefore, the executive and procedural steps and achievements made by the Central Bank during the period of implementing the goals of the strategy can be identified as follows:

First: To study and analyze the reality experienced by governmental and private banks by reviewing, evaluating and classifying these banks based on their financial statements and the results of their business for the years (2016-2019) and adopting clear evaluation indicators based on the applicable banking law and international standards. And determining performance efficiency standards for banks in all areas of administrative, banking and credit banking work and identifying banks that continue to operate in the banking market and banks that are proposed to merge with other banks in order to increase the efficiency of their work and change their current departments with specialized and efficient departments and develop the work of good and discreet banks and help them to continue to work within the sector The Iraqi banker is within its sound and healthy contexts, given that the banking sector is the basis for building the national economy.

Second: The establishment of the Central Bank of Iraq with full control and supervision of the movement of banking business in Iraq by focusing on pre-emptive electronic and field office oversight in a programmed and planned manner, identifying violations, omissions and abuses of the banking executive departments and taking corrective measures. And download the legal responsibility of the Board of Directors and the Executive Management in a specific and clear manner.

Third: Implementing the decision of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Iraq on the controls for nominating members of the Board of Directors and leading employees of banks and focusing on professional competence, job integrity, personal and commercial reputation, and specialist expertise.

The application of the principles of governance and separation between owners and executive departments and not allowing them to interfere at all with the executive work. Owners can adopt specialized advisors in preparing banking plans and determine the efficiency of performance and follow up the implementation of what the Council plans in a manner commensurate with the concern for the funds of shareholders and customers.

Fourth: Maintaining the Iraqi dinar exchange rate against foreign currencies. Building foreign exchange reserves exceeding $ 80 billion despite the challenges and crises that the country has gone through.

Fifth: The establishment of a deposit guarantee company and legal procedures are ongoing for the purpose of commencing them soon.

Sixth: Activating and developing the initiative to encourage and finance small and medium projects of economic and development feasibility and work continuously jointly with banks to increase the allocation for financing to the ceiling of one billion dinars for each development project and facilitate procedures, conditions and guarantees and achieve the economic and social goal.

Seventh: Commitment and action in accordance with the controls issued by the Central Bank of Iraq with regard to combating money laundering and terrorist financing derived from the recommendations of the Financial Action Group (FATF). The liquidation of the negative comments installed on Iraq, which contributed to the exit of Iraq from the gray area to the regular follow-up area, and building international banking relations with the central banks and discreet correspondent banks.

Eighth: Commitment to the regulatory instructions developed by the Central Bank in cooperation with the Metac Center of the International Fund and make them live up to international standards and the requirements of Basel III.

Ninth: The shift in preparing the final and interim data to the International Accounting Standards (IFRS), which guarantees the transparency of data and its handling by all parties responsible for financial reporting.

Tenth: Work to encourage and stimulate financial inclusion processes and try to increase its percentage in Iraq through the adoption of the salary settlement project, which is a step to reduce the use of cash and the direction of growth of the non-cash community.

Eleven: Use all methods and procedures to be adopted to verify sources of funds and follow up on combating money laundering and terrorist financing in accordance with Law No. 39 of 2015.

Twelve: Taking the necessary measures by adopting the standards and rules of compliance and risk management and adopting a precautionary policy that contributes to sensing risks and then taking the necessary means to deal with any risk.

Thirteen: Adoption of the unified bank number (IBAN), which contributes to improving the level of banking services, clearing services, and settlement of payments locally and internationally.

Fourteen: Commitment and action in accordance with the policies and procedures contained in the Governance Manual, which establishes transparency, disclosure and separation of management from ownership.

Fifteen: Issuing the electronic payment system for funds No. 3 of 2014, establishing the National Payments Council, governance controls, institutional management of information and communication technology, regulations and legal instructions that govern the work of banks and electronic payment services providers.

Sixteen: Establishing advanced and pursuit infrastructure for the latest global technologies, developing the bank’s financial and banking systems, payment systems and advanced communication networks according to the latest technologies.
And the ownership of the central bank, banks and electronic payment companies for advanced payment systems as well as retail payment structures, and the National Divider was one of its most important parts.

Seventeen: Granting work licenses to many electronic payment services providers (card issuers, collectors, processing of mobile payment company operations, billing bidders and payment gateways through various channels).

It is clear from the above accomplishments that the central bank and the banking sector have overcome the challenges of the gap between Iraq and other countries because of the occupation and terrorism, and today it is proceeding with a steady step to achieve the digital transformation in the financial and banking sector and achieve financial stability and the transition from the cash community to the cashless community.

Therefore, the central bank strategy has proven that it has established, planned and made advanced steps towards the systematic application of banking reform.

Economy-news.net

Parliamentary shock from “smuggled money” and calls for a strong government to settle it

The deputy of Al-Fateh Alliance Fadel Jaber, Thursday, announced by the Supreme Council for Combating Corruption, described “shocking”, stressing the need for a strong government to resolve the corruption files.

Jaber said in a statement to the “information”, that “what the Anti-Corruption Council announced about the volume of the funds stolen and smuggled out of Iraq constitutes a great shock to the public opinion,” surprising from “not paying attention to it and not highlighting the light and caring for it.”

He added that “this dreadful amount is equivalent to the budgets of previous years, and a strong government must be formed to uncover the corrupt and hold them accountable and recover those enormous sums”, noting that “opening these files will end the existence of large political blocs, but it will stand against the formation of a strong government.”

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Supreme Council for Combating Corruption estimated the value of the funds stolen from IraqIt is equivalent to investment budgets approved since 2003 until now. Ended in / 25 pm

Almaalomah.com

The Kuwait Donors Conference humiliated Iraq and nothing was implemented from it despite the passage of two years

Information / private … Parliamentary Economy and Investment Committee, Thursday, promised Kuwait donors’ conference that it humiliated Iraq and insulted it externally and nothing was achieved on the ground despite the conference entering its second year, indicating that the donor countries insisted on the conference to implement projects and did not provide funds because they did not trust the Iraqi government.

Committee member Nada Shaker told Al-Maalouma that “the Kuwait Donors Conference was wrong since its inception and painted a humiliating image of Iraq in the countries of the world.”

She added that “all the promises that were made during the Kuwait Donors Conference were not fulfilled on the ground despite the entry of the second year of its contract.”
She explained that “the donor countries insisted on implementing projects for Iraq with grants and not providing funds for lack of confidence, but the Iraqi side did not like him the idea.”

The Kuwait Donors Conference was launched on February 2, 2018, to rebuild Iraq to provide international grants to Iraq and to contribute to rebuilding the infrastructure.

Almaalomah.com

BGG ~ Iraq’s endemic and blatant corruption is why Iraq is humiliated. They have done it to themselves. No one at this Kuwaiti conference could trusted that Iraqi leaders wouldn’t steal the assistance wholesale.

British mediation to implement the Erbil – Baghdad agreement and to resolve outstanding issues

Shafaaq News / Today, Wednesday, a meeting of the committees of energy, natural resources, industry and trade in the Parliament of Kurdistan, headed by Ali Hama Saleh, with Venti Anikat, official of the political delegation of the British Consul General in Erbil, with the aim of discussing the agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government, regarding the budget and oil.

During the meeting, they talked about the Erbil and Baghdad agreement, the reform process in the matter of oil, and the status of the oil import fund.

The meeting also highlighted the security of the region’s budget by the federal government, and in return for the region to send (250) thousand barrels of oil per day.
And Ali Hama Saleh praised the British efforts in bringing the views between the region and the center in order to achieve this agreement in the general budget of Iraq for the year 2020.

At the end of the meeting, Annikat expressed his full support for each step that would bring the region and the center closer to the issue of budget and oil

Shafaaq.com

Saleh gives the political blocs until Friday evening, on the candidate of the Prime Minister

A well-informed source revealed, on Wednesday, that the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, gave the political blocs until Friday evening regarding the prime minister’s candidate.

The source said, “The President of the Republic, Barham Salih, gave the political blocs until Friday evening to present a non-controversial candidate for prime minister.”

“Otherwise, Saleh will assign an independent figure who will accept the street,” he added.
Yesterday, a source close to the President of the Republic denied agreeing to a candidate for prime

Albaghdadiyagroup.com