Exclusive: Lawmaker accuses Minister of corruption, the latter says he will press charges
Shafaq News/ MP Ahmad Abdullah al-Jubouri leveled a torrent of "corruption" accusations against incumbent Minister of Industry and Minerals, Manhal Aziz al-Khabbaz, and the latter says he will press charges against the lawmaker.
"The Ministry is saying its last prayers," MP al-Jubouri told Shafaq News Agency, "it is infested with corrupt files. The iron file is one of them, and it is a newborn. It started six months ago."
"The ministry did not respect the law on selling and leasing state assets no. 21 of 2013. The law stipulates that iron and other materials shall be auctioned three times to attain their actual value. The ministry, however, did not make an inventory of them. It just estimated their weight and sold them. The estimated weight is way below the actual weight."
"This file will be presented to the court," he continued, "we will open other cases related to the ministry of Industry, and the corrupts will be held accountable."
For his part, Minister al-Khabbaz refuted the lawmakers' claims. "The ministry does not have the terms of reference to sell the scrub iron. Those allegations are unfounded."
"In 2019, the State-owned Iron and Steel Company signed a contract with the Mosul Iron and Steel Company to sell scrub iron. However, the ministry still owes the Mosul company twenty tons. The delivery of the batch was halted back then when smuggling was reported."
"The committees estimate the weight. However, there are other committees that accompany the vehicles carrying the products. These committees register the exact weight of the scrub Iron."
"Neither the ministry nor the companies affiliated with it have the terms of power to sell the scrub the Iron to any party outside the Ministry without a contract with the Iron and Steel Company."
"I will take legal measures against al-Jubouri. I am not interested in engaging with him in a media war," the Minister continued, "al-Jubouri has other motives, and he is well aware of what I am saying. His purpose is definitely not the public money."
