Shafaq News / The three Sunni blocs decided the alliance of “Sovereignty”, “Resolvence”, “National Resolvel,” nominate MP “Salem Matar Al-Issawi” for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives, succeeding the deported Mohammed Al-Halbousi.
The correspondent of Shafaq News Agency said that the three blocs, after intensive meetings on Friday night on Saturday, agreed to nominate Al-Issawi for this position.
A memorandum submitted to the leaders of the framework, affixed to the signature of the leaders of the three blocs: Khamis Al-Khanjar, Muthanna Al-Samarrai, and Thabit Al-Abbasi, confirmed the information received by the nomination of Al-Issawi.
The signatories of the memorandum called for the speedy determination of the next session for the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The signatories addressed the framework leaders by saying that your support for our candidate complements the constitutional benefits towards the political process in the service of Iraq, its unity and sovereignty.
On November 21, 2023, the Presidency of the House of Representatives decided to officially terminate the membership of the Speaker of the Council, Mohammed Al-Halbousi.
The Federal Supreme Court decided, “the highest judicial authority in Iraq”, in November 2023, to terminate the membership of the Speaker of Parliament Mohammed Al-Halbousi, against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed against him by MP Laith Al-Dulaimi, in which he accused him of falsifying his resignation (Al-Dulaimi) from the membership of the House of Representatives, and after which the Federal Court ruled to terminate their membership (Halbusi and Al-Dulaimi).
On Saturday evening, January 13, the House of Representatives held an extraordinary session to choose the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the first round of voting ended with the victory of the “Progress” party of Shaalan Al-Karim by 152 votes out of 314 votes, and his successor MP Salem Al-Issawi with 97 votes, MP Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani with 48 votes, MP Amer Abdul Jabbar with 6 votes, and MP Talal Al-Zubai with one vote, but speeches took place inside the Council Chamber, forcing the Presidency of the Council to adjourn the meeting until further notice.
But the next day, December 14, MPs Youssef Al-Kalbi and Faleh Al-Khazali, filed a lawsuit with the Federal Court that included a request to issue a state order to stop the election session until the case is resolved, due to suspicions of paying bribes to some deputies in order to vote for candidates for the presidency of the Council.
A judicial source announced last Tuesday that the Federal Supreme Court decided to postpone the decision on the pretext of canceling the session of electing the President of the Iraqi Parliament until early next April.
On January 17, the Federal Integrity Commission began investigating and investigating allegations of bribery offers to deputies to vote in favor of a specific candidate for the presidency of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.
{Politicical: Al-Furat News} President of the Republic Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid said that “Iraq is against the attacks that are taking place in Iraq or on Iraq from any party, and the government has reached a peace that contributed to stopping the attacks.”
“Iraq wants to establish good relations with the United States, not only in military affairs, but in economic, trade, political, diplomatic, scientific and cultural aspects, and the Iraqi government is working on understandings about the presence of the international coalition forces in the country, and setting a timetable for their survival, missions and the time of their departure,” Rashid said in a press interview.
He pointed out that “the security stability that Iraq is enjoying now is important, and the situation today is better than it was in the past years, the Presidency of the Republic, the Government and the House of Representatives are working very much in consolidating this stability.”
Rashid pointed out that “the suffering of the Palestinian people exceeded everything that human rights can accept, and the international community has a duty to reach a permanent ceasefire and resolve the Palestinian issue permanently by living on its legitimate land,” pointing out that “Iraq has since the beginning with the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment and recognition of their independent state in the United Nations and the international community.”
He pointed out that “the Palestinian issue is not only a political issue, it is an emotional issue in the entire region that feels that the Palestinians have been deprived of the right to live on their land and in their region,” noting that “Iraq is doing everything it can to help the Palestinian people in Gaza by sending aid, but the Israelis do not allow all aid to pass, and many of it is overcrowed at the outlets.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has supported the rights of the Palestinian people from the beginning, and has been very clear in condemning the attacks on Gaza and the Palestinian people,” he explained.
He continued, “Iraq will fully support the move of South Africa on the aggression taking place in Gaza, because we know the truth of genocide and the reality of attacking civilians, and we hope that the final decision will come out in favor of the Palestinian people and condemning the Israelis,” noting that “the war in Gaza has affected many countries in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, and the crises of the Red Sea, commercial shipping and the economic, commercial and political situation in the region, as well as many countries outside the region have been affected by it.”
The head of the Border Ports Authority, Major General Omar Al-Wayli, confirmed today, Friday, to proceed with the activation of the system (ASYCUDA) by the General Authority of Customs in the Grand Welcome Square and the start of automating work electronically at all ports in a gradual way, at all costs, as well as a network connection of sonars and electronic programs by the Border Ports Authority to integrate with all departments operating at ports electronically, while summarizing the benefits of electronic checking the border crossings in the detection of the largest fraud in which the value of waste exceeded 3 billion Iraqi dinars
Al-Waeili said, in an interview with the official agency, followed by the 964 network, that “the transition to electronic work represents the government orientation, as the government program included great attention in the file of border and customs ports, and stressed the transition from paper work to electronic work.”
Asycuda system
He added that “thanks to the government’s support and continuous orientations, the (ASYCUDA) system was activated by UNCTAD in a contract with the Ministry of Finance, and on March 1, the system began at the port of the northern port of Umm Qasr in the welcome square.”
He pointed out that “there is an expected reaction from some weak souls who lived on the incorrect work, as their interests will be hit by the entry of automation and electronic governance,” stressing that “the authority did not care about these objections, but carried out qualitative operations and seized a large group of traders and importers in violation of the law, and there is a government will and government guidance to proceed with electronic automation at all border ports and irrevocably, whatever the cost.”
He continued: “Despite the objections that have occurred, the Commission continued its work and we do not allow the entry of any goods until they are subjected to the scrutiny and electronic data.”
Maximizing the revenue
Al-Waeeli stressed that “the electronic audit will maximize the revenues and does not allow the employee to determine the value of the goods on his own or according to his desire, but the system will determine the percentage of the customs fee required for the goods imported to Iraq.”
He stressed that “this will achieve a real and accurate collection comparable to the price of goods coming to Iraq.”
Electronic programs with self-efforts
He added: “We in the border crossings Authority, have multiple electronic programs, which we established with self-efforts, including the pre-examination program for the protection of the Iraqi consumer, as well as the customs exemption program to prevent manipulation of the quantities of goods and the exemption books, as well as the program of certificates of origin and invoices to control the origin of the goods, as well as the audit of financial transfers not to exploit traders for financial transfers exceeding the real volume of the goods.”
He stressed that “these programs are flexible and will be interlocked with the (ASYCUDA) program, and the border ports implement the government’s directives accurately and quickly, and there is a constant and persistentness by us to continue this electronic work.”
Sonar networking and image analysis
He pointed out that “the body has implemented a network connection for sonars and began to analyze the images of goods, which means that no goods will pass and enter Iraq with hidden smuggled materials, and therefore this will reflect positively on raising the level of the Iraqi economy to higher levels, and its classification is among the countries that followed electronic governance, and we will be among the countries that fought drug trafficking and smuggling of goods prohibited from importing.
Positive results
Al-Wayli continued: “There are many independent bodies that have been separated from ministries, and there are many administrative structures that have been changed and created, but the positive results are what give the real picture of the success of this chapter or this experience through the introduction of the border crossings body, and today the success of the Border Crossings Authority has proven after it became an independent body linked to the Council of Ministers.”
He pointed out that “among the recently achieved results, a drug dealer and a carrier were seized at one of the eastern ports, and over the course of two days, about 213 contraband cars under the model came to the ports were seized based on suspicious agreements, but the port authority had another opinion by adjusting these wheels, and the investigation will be conducted and the carrier companies, importers and companies that began to bring these cars will be held accountable.”
Seized the biggest forging
Al-Waily revealed, “The seizure of the largest fraud in the tax, exceeding 3 billion dinars so far,” stressing that “the audit is underway retroactively in all the details of the operation.”
He explained that “the process was the forgery of tax receipts, as this is done through the tax employees at the border crossings to cut off an imaginary connection in the real amount, but what goes as a final revenue to the state is much lower than the real fee that was taken at the border crossings, and therefore these funds go to the pockets of the corrupt.”
He concluded by saying: “For example, there are goods whose tax fee is 5 million dinars, the employee gives a fake receipt of the amount within the transaction to complete the procedures and take the goods out of the port, but the amount of five million turns into 50 thousand Iraqi dinars with another receipt that goes a final revenue to the state, and therefore the difference of 4 million and 950 thousand dinars goes to the pockets of the corrupt.”
He pointed out that “the value of the amount wasted until the current audit reached the threshold of 3 billion dinars, represented by a difference and waste in public money, and the arrest of corrupt employees based on our follow-up and coordination with the Supreme Judicial Council / Presidency of the Federal Court of Appeal of Basra and other supporting bodies,” stressing that “the investigation is underway as well as the audit is underway retroactively, as this file is one of the important files that represent the seizure of employees who manipulate the state’s income in the tax.”
Money laundering and fake transfers
On money laundering operations and fictitious financial transfers, Al-Wayli stressed that “the Border Ports Authority was the first department in Iraq to diagnose, prove and take legal procedures against many banks and companies that practiced a financial transfer process with the help of employees.”
Activities and outputs
He pointed out that “one of the outputs of the Authority and its activities: controlling major frauds, quality controls of drugs, cigarettes, medicines and cars, and great coordination with other departments such as the Federal Integrity Commission to deter spoilers,” stressing that “the coordination of the Port Authority with the Integrity Authority at a high level. The main support is the judiciary that gives legal cover for the implementation of seizures of the at the accest warrants and the implementation of the implementation of existing violations, as well as the government program and the directives of the Prime Minister were important and present in combating the corruption pandemic, as well as the important role of the Office of Financial Supervision, which has a great role in coordination, integration and cooperation with the outlets as a regulatory body that practices its work under the law.”
He stressed that “the outlets authority continues to perform to reach a large integration process in the electronic program, as well as controlling revenues and violations to be our ports the impregnable dam and the first gate of Iraq with neighboring countries to prevent the entry of any material that harms the Iraqi consumer.”
Ramadan and the flow of food
Al-Waeli says: “In conjunction with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, which needs a large flow of food in order to maintain prices, the Authority will work 24 hours to secure food and the work of the Ministry of Commerce and introduce as much food and consumer items as possible that the Iraqi citizen needs in the month of Ramadan.”
He added that “this comes to block and block the way for speculators, smugglers and manipulators in the Iraqi market.”
Development and training of owners
He pointed out that “the authority has developed its staff significantly, trained its employees in electronic work, and established a data center to monitor border crossings with cameras, sonarats and auditing,” stressing that “the work is ongoing and in a great escalation.”
He stressed that “the doors of border ports are open to the media and anyone who wants to visit the ports to audit electronic work and networking and see the volume of the great activity practiced by the Border Crossing Authority.”
A thoughtful plan
He pointed out that “the authority has a deliberate plan during the current year 2024, and it has a meeting with the managers of all Iraq’s outlets periodically to evaluate the performance and raise the level of work, and the deficients will be held accountable and exempted, and those who have shown a distinguished activity will be honored from them during the last period, and there is a plan that will be reported to them and updated according to the changes, as well as there are other qualitative and deterrent procedures that we will follow during the current year to reach integrated border ports in all aspects of logistics.”
Binding government decisions
Al-Waeli explained that “the governorates are concerned with the development of border crossings through the revenues achieved, and there is high coordination with the provinces and a large reconstruction process witnessed by most of Iraq’s ports.”
He pointed out that “there are outlets that need more efforts than the provinces, and a prime minister has paid great attention to this file, and government decisions were issued obliging the provinces to rebuild the outlets from their revenues in order to improve the reality of work.”
Mawazine News – Baghdad The UN Representative in Iraq, Jeanine Blasschart, commended the impressions of the Iraqi people, noting that Iraq has become a part of my life after serving in it for five years. Blaskhart said in a televised interview followed by Mawazine News, “Many Iraqis received me with open arms and made me understand their country and that the Iraqi people are known for their hospitality and generosity. She added that “Iraq is a wonderful country and I have spent five years in its service and have learned about each province, its characteristics and clans from its south to Kurdistan.” She pointed out that “Iraq has achieved a great development in its security and politics during the previous years, but the situation in Gaza cast a shadow over the region, especially with the launch of armed groups against foreign forces in Iraq.”
Shafaq News / The Media and Communications Commission announced on Friday that its President Ali Al-Mumayyyad discussed with a high-level delegation of World Bank experts the strategy of communications and information technology in Iraq, and the support that the bank can provide in this field.
A statement issued by the authority said that the meeting, which came on the sidelines of the World Bank Digital Summit 2024 in Washington, discussed Iraq’s efforts to accelerate the pace of digital transformation and spread digitization in various government joints.
The statement added that the meeting also discussed the projects and programs adopted by Iraq within the framework of its digital strategy through the development of infrastructure and the legislation of laws that are in favor of digital transformation.
The meeting, which also discussed ways of support provided by the World Bank to the development of the Iraqi strategy in the field of communications, was attended by the World Bank’s Director of Digital Development for the Middle East and North Africa, Michel Roggy, and experts in digital development, Abdullah Jabbour, and Essam Khayat, according to the statement.
It is noteworthy that the World Bank Digital Summit 2024, held in Washington, will host senior officials and ministers in governments and the private sector, with the aim of exploring opportunities, accelerating the pace of digital transformation, reviewing the reality of development in the countries of the world, as well as unveiling the latest technologies and scientific visions in the field of innovation, communication and digital transformation.
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