Lawmaker Says Parliamentary Finance Committee Violated Law During Budget Discussion

Shafaq News/ Hadi al-Salami, an independent Member of the Iraqi Parliament, on Wednesday said that the parliamentary finance committee breached the law during a meeting with cabinet members on budget bill, pointing out numerous infractions within the budget itself.

"The parliamentary finance committee contravened the internal regulations of the legislative assembly by conducting meetings to discuss the budget bill outside the council's premises," he told Shafaq News Agency.

"As per the internal regulations of the Council of Representatives, members are entitled to attend committee meetings," he said, "however, the finance committee's meeting at the cabinet's guesthouse prevented lawmakers from attending."

Al-Salami added that the budget bill itself encompasses various legal and constitutional infringements, including the delay in its submission and the absence of final accounts for previous years.

"The deficit rate in the budget and the failure to attach detailed tables in the bill questions its conformity to the legal format," he continued, "the majority of the lawmakers are willing to give the budget a thumb up if it manages to decrease the deficit and amend particular articles."

Despite being submitted to the parliament in March, Iraq's triennial budget bill is yet to be included on the parliament's agenda.