Electricity contract worth a trillion dinars, triggering a corruption scandal in Basra

Electricity contract worth a trillion dinars, triggering a corruption scandal in Basra

 Baghdad / Wael Ne'ma

A contract of electricity worth one trillion Iraqi dinars, Basra province in front of the biggest scandal lengthening the local government, which led to the arrest of the President of the provincial council, as well as leaks about the existence of arrest warrants issued against officials involved in files of corruption.
The project, which is confirmed by officials in Basra, it was concluded with a UAE company owned by a Lebanese, according to reports issued by the technical bodies of the Directorate of Electricity Governorate.
Local officials in the conservative bloc say that the contract was signed at the request of the Minister of Electricity Qassim Fahdawi to end the energy crisis in the province.
The contract is supposed to provide up to 4,000 megawatts of power, far more than Basra needs. Several production units will soon be operational, which means that Basra will, for the first time in years, have electric current around the clock.
After suspicions of corruption, the government in Baghdad decided to stop the project, and the Basra Council refused to ratify the next decade of the province.
The head of the council, Sabah al-Bezouni, was arrested on charges of receiving a "bribe" from the owner of the Lebanese company. Prior to that, the governor presented the investigation against the backdrop of accusations, through audio tape leaked to senior officials including the head of the Judicial Council involved in the corruption of the contract of electricity. Recently, the websites reported that a document from a witness who accused al-Bezouni of receiving bribes indicates that his confession was under threat.
Last month, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi referred Basra Governor Majid al-Nasraoui to the Integrity Commission for investigation into corruption suspicions related to the energy purchase contract.
"Accordingly, the Prime Minister decided to refer the file of the governor of Basra to the Integrity Commission on the grounds of his attempts to put names of false officials, which are entangled suspicions of corruption contracts," the statement said.
The security forces in Basra arrested, days later, the head of the provincial council Sabah al-Bezouni, who belongs to the Dawa Party, led by Nuri al-Maliki, against the backdrop of a court order.

A project without a budget
In turn, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, a member of the Basra Provincial Council, said that "the energy purchase project has been rejected by the provincial council, and the President of the Council filed a lawsuit to integrity, considering the contract contrary to the laws in force.
The project, which was supposed to be offered by Dow International Investment Company to its Lebanese owner Hassan Farran, was aimed at providing 360 MW at a price of 825 billion dinars.
"The money of the project would have been paid from the budget of Basra and the funds of the collection, but in fact we do not have money and we did not receive the taxpayer, and the petrodollar was removed from the federal budget."
The refusal of the Basra Council investment project, to the fact that the energy that will provide it is no longer necessary, especially after the time of need.
"The project was supposed to go into operation and provide the province with energy at the beginning of last July, just to meet the need this summer," the local official said.
But the project is hamstrung and Basra is in the summer, so Abdulhassein says the project is no longer necessary.
It is supposed to end, during the summer next, the electricity crisis in Basra, as it will enter 1500 MW to work in the coming months, within the project of investment stations in Rumaila capacity of 3 thousand megawatts. In addition, the Qurna line has been completed with a capacity of 300 megawatts, a 280 MW power line, and another 200 MW plant.
Ahmed Abdul-Hussain, a member of the Basra Council for a coalition of state law, said that "
The energy in the coming summer will exceed 4,000 MW, which exceeds the need for Basra, which consumes electricity, 24 hours without interruption, by 3300 megawatts. " For these reasons combined, the government and the Basra Council refused to add other projects But Ali Faris, a member of the provincial council of the block Hakim, says that "the governor concluded the contract in accordance with the request of the Ministry of Electricity and technical committees located in the province," and
called on those parties, the government in Basra to conclude a contract to buy energy for the need to maintain it The Knight adds that "the governor has official correspondence with the Minister of Electricity requests From him to conclude the contract. "

We will press on Abbadi
Woss These developments led to the leak of a sound recording to Governor Majid al-Nasrawi, then considered Raad al-Bezouni, brother and head of the office of the head of the provincial council, as the reason for the latter's arrest.
In the passage, Nasraoui says, referring to the official who does not know his name. "I have integrity to integrity." He warned against playing with him, "I will overturn the objects, this subject is even known to Fayek Zidane, and the prime minister will press him to go to Saudi Arabia." Abdul Aziz al-Jumaih, head of the economic committee, signed it.
Ali al-Fares said that "Nasraoui went to court as a witness to the case and that the integrity of the Ministry of Electricity was the responsibility of the contract."
The company, known as Dow Al-Jumaih, is known in Basra for the implementation of previous electricity projects in Al-Haritha and Shuaiba. The last decade was an extension of a one-year contract.
For his part, believes a member of the provincial council of the coalition of citizen Ahmed Abdul Hussein that "
In a sudden development of the case, social networking sites circulated documents confirming that the confessions of Akram Said Farran, the brother of Hasan Farran, the director of Dow United Arab Emirates, came "under threat and intimidation" in front of a judicial body In Basra, on the charge of bribery, which was stopped by the head of the provincial council Sabah al-Bezouni Ahmed Abdul-Hussein, "This development (document), will be in favor of the President of the Council."
Leaks indicated Monday that the judiciary decided to postpone the trial of the President of the provincial council to on Monday, after it was scheduled for yesterday.
ibex However, the provincial council would conclude a new contract with the company itself, but this time worth 83 billion dinars and 120 MW card.
Again, the debate over the reason for the new contract has returned, especially as some parties in Basra believe the plant needs five months to install and the company will develop "old turbines."
But council member Ahmed Abdul Hussein explained the reasons for concluding the new contract, saying that "Basra suffers from an unstable voltages leading to loss of energy, and this project will help stabilize them." He also notes that the status of the company (Dow Jones) "will be determined by the judiciary
and the law."


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