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Samson:  A significant increase in Iraq's oil exports to America

13th November, 2022

Today, Sunday, the US Energy Information Administration announced a significant increase in Iraq's oil exports to America, reaching more than 500,000 barrels per day during the past week

The administration said in a report seen by "Al-Iqtisad News", that "the average US imports of crude oil during the past week from nine countries amounted to 5.503 million barrels per day, up by 38 thousand barrels per day from the previous week, which amounted to 5.465 million barrels per day

She added, "Iraq's oil exports to America amounted to an average of 503 thousand barrels per day last week, up from the previous week in which oil exports to America amounted to an average of 134 thousand barrels per day

She pointed out that "most of America's oil revenues during the past week came from Canada, at a rate of 3.235 million barrels per day, followed by Saudi Arabia at a rate of 519,000 barrels per day, and oil revenues from Mexico at a rate of 503,000 barrels per day, and then Colombia at a rate of 341,000 barrels per day

According to the administration, “the amount of US imports of crude oil from Brazil amounted to an average of 140,000 barrels per day, from Nigeria at a rate of 119,000 barrels per day, from Ecuador at a rate of 102,000 barrels per day, and from Libya at a rate of 41,000 barrels per day, while it did not import any amount of oil.”   LINK

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Samson:  It costs 40 billion dollars, but the money will be recovered in 4 years... This is how nuclear reactors can be built in Iraq

13th November, 2022

An expert in the field of energy and emissions determination, Kamal Hussein Latif, specified that the cost of building nuclear reactors that can supply Iraq with 10 gigawatts is about $40 billion, stressing that Iraq can recover this amount within four years

Latif said in a post on his Facebook page that "Iraq's need for electric energy will reach about 62 gigawatts in 2030, distributed as 24% with gas in single-cycle stations, 58% in combined-cycle stations, 11% in heavy oil and crude oil stations, and 7% of it with energy." renewable according to plan

It is estimated that the annual losses that Iraq will incur in that year and beyond, from the consumption of oil and gas for the production of electricity exclusively in the single-cycle stations with a thermal conversion efficiency "ranging between (29.4-44.8)%, whose production capacity will be in the range of 10 gigawatts, which will annually consume about 192,857 * 1011 cubic feet. Assuming that the price of a standard cubic foot remains around 3 cents, this means that we will spend 5.78 billion dollars annually, which is 20 percent of the current national income and about 12 percent of the expected national income for the year 2030.

As for combined cycle stations with a conversion efficiency of 65 percent, as is known, the production capacity of the need It will be in the range of 24.36 kilowatts, which will be consumed annually 1011 * 328,297 cubic feet, and with the same imposition of the standard cubic foot price, we must spend at that time 9.848 billion dollars annually, meaning that our spending of gas will be approximately 15.6 billion dollars annually only in the combined cycle, and with a simple closer look, it becomes clear that we consume more than 30 percent of the national income only on electricity production plants

He added, "For heavy and crude oil stations that operate with thermal conversion efficiency of between (25.5-33.3) percent, Iraq in 2030 will need a value of 4.62 kilowatts, according to the drawn plan, that every 1 kilowatt hour of those stations consumes 1160 barrels and during the year, and for a maximum heat transfer efficiency, we will need 305.153 million barrels of oil, at an average price of 60 dollars, at prices close to today's prices, we will spend 18.3 billion dollars annually

And Latif indicated that "the countries that spend this amount of amounts to produce electricity must review their accounts, as it is assumed that it does not exceed 5% of its national income, while Iraq will spend 19.8% of the national income, which is a huge number in the accounts of countries that consider their strategic plans in the field of energy and arrange its spending for the sake of sustainable development and individual well-being

The national expert stressed that "some solutions in this field, including the use of nuclear reactors with nuclear energy, which can provide 25% of the energy needs, i.e. covers approximately 10 gigawatts of the required percentage," noting that "the total price of those reactors with this capacity will be around 40 billion Dollars

And with the first operation during the first year, we will save a total of $8.5 billion in annual spending on electricity, without calculating the carbon return, which can prevent the emission of 355 million tons annually, which is expected to reach $100 per ton (according to the World Bank’s forecasts for the year 2030), Thus, we can obtain carbon revenues of up to 3.55 billion dollars annually, with our achievement of the Paris Agreement, more than the voluntary contribution launched by Iraq

That is, "we will get a reduction in spending with carbon revenues of up to 12.0 billion dollars annually, meaning that within four years we will recover all the money spent on reactors, and this is what can not be achieved in any clean energy source other than nuclear energy   LINK

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Samson:  An expert presents proposals to end financial and administrative corruption in Iraq

11/13/2022 12:40:03

 Legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi explained, on Sunday, that a supervisory body close to the ministries must be found to end financial and administrative corruption in Iraq.

Al-Tamimi, in a statement received by {Euphrates News} agency, "After dissolving the offices of the inspectors general by Law 24 of 2019, a monitoring body close to the ministries must be found, after the Federal Supreme Court, by its decision 112 of 2021, canceled the paragraphs related to public prosecution offices that came in Law 49 of 2017 in Article 5 thereof, paragraphs 12, 13, and 14 regarding the establishment of public prosecution offices in ministries. 

He continued, "The draft federal service law needs to provide for the creation of a special department to investigate crimes of financial and administrative corruption, and it may be linked to the Integrity Commission, and the Federal Service Council, according to Law 4 of 2009, can propose this and specify the number of individuals working in it and its duties." 

And he indicated, "The distribution of investigators who are law graduates in the above departments after they entered quick courses in the Judicial Institute, and the speed of resolving outstanding files in the ministries and reviewing them quickly and urgently, especially since these crimes do not fall under the statute of limitations." 

He noted that "crimes of financial and administrative corruption are considered terrorist crimes by a decision of the Judicial Council, as happened in the tribal bench," explaining that "ending the presence of transaction trackers in the ministries because they are a dangerous part of the financial and administrative corruption system."  

The statement concluded with the "rehabilitation of employees with introductory courses on the punishment of bribery and embezzlement, as well as the State Employees Discipline Law 14 of 1991, and a major media campaign through clerics and the media to educate on this dangerous issue."  LINK

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Al-Sudani and the President of the Republic stress the importance of combating corruption and creating a suitable environment for investment

13th November, 2022

The President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, and the Council of Ministers, Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani, discussed, on Saturday 11/12/2022, the results of Iraq's participation in the Algiers and Sharm el-Sheikh summits, and other important issues, while they emphasized combating corruption and conducting visits to the provinces.

A statement by the Presidency of the Republic, which was received by Al-Masalla, stated that the President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, received, at the Peace Palace in Baghdad, the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia’a Al-Sudani, and at the outset of the meeting, the President of the Republic reviewed the results of his participation in the Arab Summit held in Algeria and the United Nations Climate Summit that was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where they talked about the outcomes of the two summits and the results of the meetings that took place between His Excellency the President of the Republic, leaders of brotherly and friendly countries, and heads of participating delegations.

He added: A number of issues related to the general situation in the country were discussed, and it was stressed the need for everyone to support the government's steps within its service program, which would improve the economic situation and achieve the aspirations of all the people for a free and dignified life.

He added that the importance of combating corruption and creating a suitable environment for investment was emphasized that would encourage the private sector to play its role in supporting the national economy and creating job opportunities to employ youth energies.

The statement indicated that the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister discussed the water issue, and agreed to fully coordinate in finding appropriate solutions and to continue holding meetings on a regular basis, and the President of the Republic to conduct field visits to the concerned governorates, accompanied by a number of ministers.  LINK

Samson:  Al-Sudani: The Development Fund will eliminate corruption and provide tens of thousands of job opportunities

12th November, 2022

Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani affirmed, on Saturday, that the recovery of looted Iraqi funds is an essential item in our relations with friendly countries

And the media office of the Prime Minister conveyed in a statement, the most important thing that Al-Sudani spoke during his meeting with a number of political analysts, that "we have established in the budget law the establishment of the Iraqi Development Fund, and it will be funded by deducting a percentage of oil revenues, and from it specialized funds for housing, education, health and others will branch out

Al-Sudani added, "This fund represents a new idea in amending state administration systems, based on activating the private sector and developing capital, and it will eliminate corruption, and provide tens of thousands of job opportunities," noting: "We have included all groups in the Social Security Law, and it encourages Working in the private sector instead of waiting for government appointment, and it includes all categories and all private businesses, no matter how small

He continued, "People's optimism is a great additional responsibility, and our approach is not perfect, but works according to data, and work depends on political stability," stressing: "We will enter into the prohibited files in order to confront corruption, and we will start first with reforming the institutions concerned with combating corruption

And he added, "We will address express services, because the root of the problem is the citizen's loss of confidence in the service apparatus or the political system," adding, "We have reached global rates of teachers' availability to schools, but poor distribution hinders the service of the educational process

He continued, "What concerns us is the next stage, some say that it is the government of the last chance, and in fact there are challenges and there is the ability to succeed.

Accurate diagnosis of problems exists and opportunities are at hand," noting that "I must recall the heavy legacy, and know all its details and at all levels." Every day, I meet civil and security officials, who I find seeking help from accumulated big problems. He pointed out that "there are problems that the governors suffer from, they have not been heard of before, and they work alone without a provincial council, and most of their problems are related to routine procedures with the ministries

He stressed that "the challenges are clear to us, and in light of them we designed the ministerial curriculum. We have a time limit for each path of one, two or three years. The criterion is how to succeed and make a difference at the service and livelihood level," adding: "If we agreed that the constitution is always the cover, The problems between Baghdad and Erbil all have a solution, and I spoke about this matter directly to the officials in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

And he indicated that "no one can ignore poverty, and this class needs direct treatments, and it cannot wait for reforms and long-term plans. These people must stop everything in order to address their conditions and alleviate their living suffering

And he added, "The engineering effort team has begun implementing service projects in neighborhoods in three regions in Baghdad, and the works that are being carried out there are not patchwork, but rather according to the required specifications, and the same projects will be implemented in other tired neighborhoods in the governorates," pointing out that "we have more than 1450 projects that are lagging, causing he left it by costing Iraq huge amounts of money, and I focused on these projects, some of which last for more than ten years   LINK

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Samson:  Integrity: The former governor of Salahuddin received bribes worth 4 billion dinars and 1.5 million dollars

13th November, 2022

On Sunday, the Federal Integrity Commission clarified the details of the ruling issued against the former governor of Salah al-Din, indicating that it came as a result of his receipt of nearly (7) billion dinars. For referral of projects to specific companies

The commission said in a statement, “The Commission’s Investigation Department, speaking of the absentee verdict issued by the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court, indicated that the former governor of Salah al-Din received sums of money in exchange for referring projects to maintain companies applying for work, indicating that the convict He received from it an amount of (4,600,000,000) billion Iraqi dinars, and (1,500,000) million US dollars, in addition to his request for (Range Rover) and (Lexus) cars

The statement added, "The convict received the aforementioned amounts in exchange for referring the projects implemented within the governorate with direct invitations, and the release of the financial dues owed by the governorate to the companies

And the commission continued, “The Central Criminal Court against Corruption, after reviewing the evidence obtained in this case, found it sufficient and convincing to convict the accused, so it decided to sentence him in absentia to ten years in prison, and to impose a fine of (10,00,000) million dinars,” pointing out to that "the ruling was issued in accordance with the provisions of Resolution (160 of 1983)

It is worth noting that the commission announced on the third of last April the issuance of a recruitment order against the governor of Salah al-Din. On the background of his accusation of blackmailing a contractor, and taking sums of money and wheels from him; In return for releasing his financial dues for the projects he implemented in the governorate, in addition to other projects and dues   LINK