Iraqi MP exposes alleged 'Second Heist of the Century' in Ministry of Interior Contract

Shafaq News / On Sunday, independent MP Hussein al-Saabri unveiled details of what he termed the "Second Heist of the Century" within the Ministry of Interior. He highlighted that the contracted company for electronic passport and visa printing will generate profits exceeding 4.5 billion dollars.

It is noteworthy that the "Heist of the Century" (the first) involved the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars (approximately $2.5 billion) from the tax trust funds. It was uncovered by various concerned entities nearly two months before the conclusion of the term of the previous government led by Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Al-Saabri informed Shafaq News Agency, stating that "Sky Scope Company" entered into a 20-year contract with the Ministry of Interior for the electronic passport and visa project. He deemed this contract lacking legitimacy, illegal, and characterized by significant corruption, terming it the "Second Heist of Century."

He explained, "Every Iraqi citizen renews their passport three times over a 20-year period. Assuming that out of the estimated 40 million citizens, 30 million renew their passports three times within this timeframe, the company's revenue would amount to $4.5 billion. This calculation is based on renewal fees of $50 per passport."

Per Iraqi laws, Iraqi passports must be renewed every eight years.

Al-Saabri pointed out, "This calculation does not even take into account the population growth over the twenty-year period, estimated at around ten million people, nor does it account for the renewal fees for damaged passports, not to mention the $25 fee for electronic visas."

He noted, "According to the contract between the Ministry and the company, citizens, upon passport renewal, pay a fee of 25,000 Iraqi dinars, which goes to the Ministry of Interior, in addition to $50 that goes to the contracted company."

Al-Saabri affirmed, "Yesterday, in a parliamentary session, we requested the Minister of Interior to establish a committee to investigate the contract. The minister attributed the responsibility for the contract with the mentioned company to the previous government."

Yesterday, Saturday, MP Hussein Al-Saabri deemed the decision issued by the federal government, on which the Ministry of Interior relied in signing the electronic passport and entry visa contract, "illegitimate and in violation of the law."

He stated that "over the past six months, through information, documents, field visits, and written parliamentary questions, we have presented to the Parliament the facts of unconstitutional and illegal procedures in Contract No. 5 of 2021 signed between the Ministry of Interior and 'Sky Scope Company' regarding the electronic passport, visa, and electronic gates project."

He explained, "The contract lacks legitimacy and has no legal basis. The Cabinet Decision No. 178 of 2021, which the Ministry relied on for the mentioned contract, is null and void."

The MP saw that the scale of "large corruption" in the contract amounts to naming it the "second Heist of the Century."

He added, "Corrupt individuals have acquired the ability to camouflage corruption within legal texts, penetrating state institutions, and exerting immense influence on decision-makers."

Al-Saabri also urged the Parliament to form a genuine parliamentary committee to investigate the corruption of the "Second Heist of the Century" within Contract No. 5 of 2021.

He also called for putting an end to what he referred to as "the farce of burdening citizens with the cost of the contract for issuing electronic passports under the guise of fees or charges, despite revealing violations and legal breaches, and ensuring the reimbursement of the amounts paid by citizens."