Charges for the presidency of parliament to rid ministers of the trap of interrogations

Charges for the presidency of parliament to rid ministers of the trap of interrogations

 Baghdad / Wael Ne'ma

Spent several days sitting on the door of the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives Salim al-Jubouri, to get an appointment to question the Minister of Agriculture, which was later canceled. Late last year, MP Zeinab al-Taee submitted a request to parliament speaker to question Minister Falah Zaidan, but the date was postponed several times, before deputies withdrew on Thursday, their signatures on the request.

Charges by another deputy of some lawmakers to withdraw their signatures from interrogations in exchange for kickbacks prompted parliament to take a decision banning the withdrawal of the signature and set up a commission to investigate allegations of bribes.
Six women in parliament are leading the questioning campaign, which began last year with the dismissal of Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi and Finance Hoshyar Zebari.
The Presidency of Parliament subsequently formed a committee to study interrogations. The National Alliance decided to establish an internal committee to question the official before submitting it to parliament.
MP Zeinab al-Taie, who asked to question the minister of agriculture, believes that the presidency in parliament conducted the file of interrogations very badly.
"I waited 9 months until the speaker of parliament decided to ask the questioning last Thursday," al-Taie said in an extended interview with Al-Mada.
A member of the Liberal bloc, since the beginning of last November, a request to question Minister Falah Zaidan, accompanied by signatures of 42 deputies. The Constitution provides that the request for questioning must be with the consent of 25 deputies (art. 61 / VII).
Al-Taie confirmed that the interrogation was postponed four times without clear reasons. "I was standing during those months several hours in the door of the speaker of the parliament, I ask him to set a deadline, while they were asking me to bring other securities and papers."
Deputies often accuse parliament of deliberately delaying the questioning of some officials pending the end of the crisis that has led to its accountability, as happened with the ministers of education and electricity.

Sheikh Minister!
MP Zaynab al-Taei described the interrogations as "Bab Rizk" to some MPs, who exploit him to get some privileges and perhaps money and land, as happened with the case of the Minister of Agriculture.
The member of the Liberal bloc, "announced the Speaker of the parliament in the session last Thursday, scheduled to question Falah Zaidan withdrawal signatures of 20 deputies out of 42, which means violation of the quorum sign."
But al-Taei confirmed that "26 signatures were given to assign the previous signatures 3 days before the interrogation, but the presidency of the parliament neglected." According to the decision of the Federal Court, "8 of the withdrawees did not submit a written request, but they removed their names from the Registry of the signatories."
"Some MPs refused to sign the minister's questioning because of a relationship or interest," he said.
During the 9-month period, a member of the Liberal Bloc believes that "the minister took an opportunity to move on the cancellation of his interrogation, such as sending his cousin, MP Najm al-Lahibi, to submit an interrogation of an old date, but then withdrew it because the parliament had previously interrogated him in the records."
Al-Taie continued, "the deputy asked me to respect the position of the minister as a tribal leader, and it is not permissible to enter the parliament for questioning." "Al-Halaibi told me that he is a family owner and took the minister's place in parliament, and that questioning him might threaten the removal of his post," she said.
A former deputy, who refused to be named, also tried to make deals with MPs in the parliament cafeteria before the eyes of all parliamentarians.
Al-Taie confirmed that during that period, some of the Shiite deputies who signed the interrogation changed their convictions to the minister of the Alliance of Forces. The deputy notes that "
"During this period (9 months) a change occurred in the ownership of agricultural land and contracts of equipment and fertilizers," but denied that the possession of physical evidence of the deputies to withdraw from the questioning of the Minister of Agriculture, on some of those deals.

Agriculture supports banks
and MP continues her speech , saying that " the actions of the Minister of Agriculture suspicious, such that each ministry contracts signed in Jordan or Lebanon, or it opens a current account for contracts for equipment in the eligibility of banks under the pretext of supporting those banks."
"The minister imported hundreds of thousands of tons of cement, before the start of the cement plant in Basra, where at that time will not allow Iraq to import after that. "The minister rented several stores in the provinces to keep cement, including 11 stores in Kirkuk, 7 in Karbala and other provinces, while 86 guards were employed on those stores with a daily wage." "I do not know why the minister acted like that," said MP Zeinab al-Tai, "I wish I could know the answer in parliament, but now I will take the documents and hand them over to the Integrity Commission."
In contrast, the MP for the National Alliance Ahmed al-Badri that "the decision of the last parliament to prevent the interviewer from withdrawing his signature will organize the work of interrogations."
Al-Badri said in a statement to Al-Mada yesterday that "delaying the presentation of interrogations bears responsibility for the presidency of the parliament, while the minister is sometimes busy and can not attend."
But MP Zeinab al-Tai said that "the delay deliberately to block some of the interrogations," considering that "the decision of the last parliament came after ensuring that the Minister of Commerce, Agency and Agriculture is not questioned."

Women's control
Most of the requests for questioning are addressed by women in parliament, with 6 out of 8 interviews since last year.
And MP Anam al-Shomusi, one of the female parliamentarians seeking to question the head of the Martyrs' Association was successful Abdul Amir.
"Women are more effective than men in parliament, so we are leading interrogations," Shamousi said in a statement.
The deputies were high Nassif, Hanan al-Fatlawi, and Majida al-Tamimi, overthrew the Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Information Authority. In turn, deputy Huda Sajjad recently accused some of the deputies to take money in exchange for the withdrawal of signatures on the request to question the Minister of Communications Hassan Al-Rashed.
"I do not think the MP withdraws his signature because of the money, but there are bargains between the blocs to give up the interrogation in exchange for another interrogation," said Shamoussi, who filed an interrogation request six months ago and delayed questioning because of her health.


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