Shatha Khalil *
Federal Board of Supreme Audit called on the Integrity Commission to investigate the disappearance of trucks from the General Company for Land Transport under the Ministry of Transport during 2015, and the Ministry’s failure to take legal action on this incident.
The Board of Supreme Audit disclosed in its letter No. 2044 dated January 28, 2018, addressed to the Integrity Commission / Office of the Chairman of the Commission regarding the activity of the General Company for Land Transport for 2015, which was shown through the book to give priority and importance to the work of the private sector with 80% of the total number of transport in achieving most of the company works , while in the company only 20% of the available capacity of trucks was used to accomplish the work in the General Company for Land Transport, and the denial of it from achieving revenues to the benefit of the company.
Thus, the private sector revenues gained for the General Company for Land Transport are low, ie, the transport income according to the terms of the contracts represents 6%, which represents 1% of the total revenues achieved during the year.
This shows the size of the damage and loss of the bad exploitation of the company’s materials, and the preference of the private sector at the expense of the success and performance of the general company for land transport ”
The book showed the disappearance of 807 trucks, which were removed from the drivers’ protection and removed from the records and considered war damage, although the time of its loss was after 2003.
The book also pointed out that the date of the loss of 373 trucks was not fixed according to its letter No. 3047 on 24/7/2017 due to the lack of information about them.
The book stated that a total of 282 criminal cases were filed against drivers who were charged with missing trucks, noting that the company later included 31 drivers, while the company said it had no accurate information on the remaining 525 trucks. However, new trucks have been delivered to drivers who were charged with missing trucks, despite the fact that there are 1135 drivers in the company, who do not have trucks in violation of the receipt of trucks under administrative order No. 8197 on 16/11/2015, which states that “the driver should not have been charged with missing trucks or cargo.”
The Audit Board revealed during the audit, also irregularities in the files of contracts, “which concern the work and participation with the private sector, where there is no clear and explicit declaration of the desire of the” General Company for Land Transport “to contract with companies in the private sector to manage the border crossings, and was contracted on the basis of requests from the companies and was approved by the Minister of Transport, and this is a violation of the rules and regulations and internal regulations, and lost competitive offers that it was possible to serve the company and the citizen, and there are many question marks about the work of the company and continue to renew those contracts that do not serve the economy of the country.
The document also revealed the company’s placement of nine employees to work more than a year at the border crossing points, which is contrary to the Cabinet’s letter number 1610 dated 16/6/2010, which provides for the non- placement of staff at border crossings for more than a year.
The document revealed that the General Company for Land Transport did not take the strict legal procedures against the company “Ashraqat Al-Awad” because of its printing a manifest of the entry of trucks and goods through the outlets (Bashmagh, Pervez Khan, Haj Omran) outside the printing press of the General Company for Land Transport where it opens the corruption door of non-control on the revenues coming from the border outlets , and this is contrary to the clause (5) of the contract concluded with the said company, which provided for the printing of the manifest in the printing press of the General Company for Land Transport according to specific specifications to ensure that there is no forgery and control of the legal sequence of these manifests .
The document also called for the investigation of the company’s files to eliminate corruption and preserve the public money of the countries.
The transport sector in Iraq is considered as a cultural front, mainly in the process of construction, development and progress, and economic aspects, but its reality is indicating to its deteriorating situation, which has made it one of the main obstacles to the development of the Iraqi state. As the sector suffers (transport sector) like the other sectors from the decline of development and progress , and economists believe that the loss of the fundamentals of development in this sector are negatively affect the economy of the country, because of the loss of efficiency of performance.
Economic Studies Unit
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies