Kurdistan oil Minister under fire from lawmakers
Iraqi Kurdistan oil minister Ashti Hawrami (R) talks with Soran Omar, the head committee of Human rights in Kurdistan parliament. Photo: NRT
ERBIL-Hewler, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— A member of Iraq’s Kurdistan Parliament said the region’s assembly has called on Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami to appear for a hearing on allegations of corruption in the ministry.
Speaking to NRT on Friday, Finance and Economic Affairs Committee deputy Ali Hama Salih said lawmakers have evidence that shows Hawrami cost the region hundreds of millions of dollars.
“We cannot support Hawrami’s position anymore,” Salih said, adding that MPs plan to vote on a measure that could bring the minister’s dismissal.
“The evidence shows monopoly, corruption and misuse of power by the ministry,” Salih said.
Twelve lawmakers signed a petition for Hawrami and other senior ministry officials to appear before a hearing to answer questions on oil contracts, non-existent refineries as well as revenue generated from oil and gas exports.
Salih claims government officials are stealing money earned from natural resources while the region faces a financial crisis.
“Now as we are talking, officials are stealing oil near Erbil,” he said. “While people have no money, they are stealing oil and selling it in the markets and they keep the money for themselves. We cannot condone this, we will never condone it.”
Salih alleged in August that over $800 million in oil-revenue funds was missing from the finance ministry’s accounts since July 15.
The Ministry of Natural Resources released a statement on August 2, saying the Kurdistan Region had lost up to $250 million in potential oil revenue as a result of “repeated attempted thefts and sabotage attacks on the pipelines that carry crude oil from the Kurdistan Region to Ceyhan in Turkey,” which it said began on July 27.
A follow-up MNR statement said that continual attacks on the pipeline between July 1 and August 17 resulted in an additional $251 million in revenue losses, bringing the total to $501 million.
NRT reached out to the MNR for a statement on the corruption allegations and is waiting for a response.
Ashti Hawrami is routinely accused of corruption by Kurdish politicians and observers.
Source: eKurd.com