Iraqi lawmaker: Finance Minister unaware of budget details
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami lacks knowledge of the 2025 federal budget tables, an Iraqi MP claimed on Saturday, criticizing parliament’s approval of the three-year Budget Law as a mistake.
The Member of Iraq’s Parliamentary Finance Committee, Faisal al-Naeli, told Shafaq News that the three-year budget experiment was flawed, adding that it burdened the Iraqi people and government employees, depriving them of financial and career entitlements.
The finance minister informed the committee that the ministry is currently paying obligations related to the 2023 budget, Al-Naeli stated, noting, “Everyone is looking for the 2025 budget tables, yet no one knows where they are or when they will be sent to parliament.”
Earlier, fellow committee member Saad al-Toubi told Shafaq News that Sami informed members during a session that a special committee—formed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani—had been tasked with drafting the tables.
Finance Committee Chairman Atwan al-Atwani criticized the government last Sunday for failing to send the tables to parliament, warning that the delay has negatively impacted wide segments of the Iraqi population.
