The head of the Border Ports Authority, Major General Omar Al-Wayli, confirmed today, Friday, to proceed with the activation of the system (ASYCUDA) by the General Authority of Customs in the Grand Welcome Square and the start of automating work electronically at all ports in a gradual way, at all costs, as well as a network connection of sonars and electronic programs by the Border Ports Authority to integrate with all departments operating at ports electronically, while summarizing the benefits of electronic checking the border crossings in the detection of the largest fraud in which the value of waste exceeded 3 billion Iraqi dinars
Al-Waeili said, in an interview with the official agency, followed by the 964 network, that “the transition to electronic work represents the government orientation, as the government program included great attention in the file of border and customs ports, and stressed the transition from paper work to electronic work.”
Asycuda system
He added that “thanks to the government’s support and continuous orientations, the (ASYCUDA) system was activated by UNCTAD in a contract with the Ministry of Finance, and on March 1, the system began at the port of the northern port of Umm Qasr in the welcome square.”
He pointed out that “there is an expected reaction from some weak souls who lived on the incorrect work, as their interests will be hit by the entry of automation and electronic governance,” stressing that “the authority did not care about these objections, but carried out qualitative operations and seized a large group of traders and importers in violation of the law, and there is a government will and government guidance to proceed with electronic automation at all border ports and irrevocably, whatever the cost.”
He continued: “Despite the objections that have occurred, the Commission continued its work and we do not allow the entry of any goods until they are subjected to the scrutiny and electronic data.”
Maximizing the revenue
Al-Waeeli stressed that “the electronic audit will maximize the revenues and does not allow the employee to determine the value of the goods on his own or according to his desire, but the system will determine the percentage of the customs fee required for the goods imported to Iraq.”
He stressed that “this will achieve a real and accurate collection comparable to the price of goods coming to Iraq.”
Electronic programs with self-efforts
He added: “We in the border crossings Authority, have multiple electronic programs, which we established with self-efforts, including the pre-examination program for the protection of the Iraqi consumer, as well as the customs exemption program to prevent manipulation of the quantities of goods and the exemption books, as well as the program of certificates of origin and invoices to control the origin of the goods, as well as the audit of financial transfers not to exploit traders for financial transfers exceeding the real volume of the goods.”
He stressed that “these programs are flexible and will be interlocked with the (ASYCUDA) program, and the border ports implement the government’s directives accurately and quickly, and there is a constant and persistentness by us to continue this electronic work.”
Sonar networking and image analysis
He pointed out that “the body has implemented a network connection for sonars and began to analyze the images of goods, which means that no goods will pass and enter Iraq with hidden smuggled materials, and therefore this will reflect positively on raising the level of the Iraqi economy to higher levels, and its classification is among the countries that followed electronic governance, and we will be among the countries that fought drug trafficking and smuggling of goods prohibited from importing.
Positive results
Al-Wayli continued: “There are many independent bodies that have been separated from ministries, and there are many administrative structures that have been changed and created, but the positive results are what give the real picture of the success of this chapter or this experience through the introduction of the border crossings body, and today the success of the Border Crossings Authority has proven after it became an independent body linked to the Council of Ministers.”
He pointed out that “among the recently achieved results, a drug dealer and a carrier were seized at one of the eastern ports, and over the course of two days, about 213 contraband cars under the model came to the ports were seized based on suspicious agreements, but the port authority had another opinion by adjusting these wheels, and the investigation will be conducted and the carrier companies, importers and companies that began to bring these cars will be held accountable.”
Seized the biggest forging
Al-Waily revealed, “The seizure of the largest fraud in the tax, exceeding 3 billion dinars so far,” stressing that “the audit is underway retroactively in all the details of the operation.”
He explained that “the process was the forgery of tax receipts, as this is done through the tax employees at the border crossings to cut off an imaginary connection in the real amount, but what goes as a final revenue to the state is much lower than the real fee that was taken at the border crossings, and therefore these funds go to the pockets of the corrupt.”
He concluded by saying: “For example, there are goods whose tax fee is 5 million dinars, the employee gives a fake receipt of the amount within the transaction to complete the procedures and take the goods out of the port, but the amount of five million turns into 50 thousand Iraqi dinars with another receipt that goes a final revenue to the state, and therefore the difference of 4 million and 950 thousand dinars goes to the pockets of the corrupt.”
He pointed out that “the value of the amount wasted until the current audit reached the threshold of 3 billion dinars, represented by a difference and waste in public money, and the arrest of corrupt employees based on our follow-up and coordination with the Supreme Judicial Council / Presidency of the Federal Court of Appeal of Basra and other supporting bodies,” stressing that “the investigation is underway as well as the audit is underway retroactively, as this file is one of the important files that represent the seizure of employees who manipulate the state’s income in the tax.”
Money laundering and fake transfers
On money laundering operations and fictitious financial transfers, Al-Wayli stressed that “the Border Ports Authority was the first department in Iraq to diagnose, prove and take legal procedures against many banks and companies that practiced a financial transfer process with the help of employees.”
Activities and outputs
He pointed out that “one of the outputs of the Authority and its activities: controlling major frauds, quality controls of drugs, cigarettes, medicines and cars, and great coordination with other departments such as the Federal Integrity Commission to deter spoilers,” stressing that “the coordination of the Port Authority with the Integrity Authority at a high level. The main support is the judiciary that gives legal cover for the implementation of seizures of the at the accest warrants and the implementation of the implementation of existing violations, as well as the government program and the directives of the Prime Minister were important and present in combating the corruption pandemic, as well as the important role of the Office of Financial Supervision, which has a great role in coordination, integration and cooperation with the outlets as a regulatory body that practices its work under the law.”
He stressed that “the outlets authority continues to perform to reach a large integration process in the electronic program, as well as controlling revenues and violations to be our ports the impregnable dam and the first gate of Iraq with neighboring countries to prevent the entry of any material that harms the Iraqi consumer.”
Ramadan and the flow of food
Al-Waeli says: “In conjunction with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, which needs a large flow of food in order to maintain prices, the Authority will work 24 hours to secure food and the work of the Ministry of Commerce and introduce as much food and consumer items as possible that the Iraqi citizen needs in the month of Ramadan.”
He added that “this comes to block and block the way for speculators, smugglers and manipulators in the Iraqi market.”
Development and training of owners
He pointed out that “the authority has developed its staff significantly, trained its employees in electronic work, and established a data center to monitor border crossings with cameras, sonarats and auditing,” stressing that “the work is ongoing and in a great escalation.”
He stressed that “the doors of border ports are open to the media and anyone who wants to visit the ports to audit electronic work and networking and see the volume of the great activity practiced by the Border Crossing Authority.”
A thoughtful plan
He pointed out that “the authority has a deliberate plan during the current year 2024, and it has a meeting with the managers of all Iraq’s outlets periodically to evaluate the performance and raise the level of work, and the deficients will be held accountable and exempted, and those who have shown a distinguished activity will be honored from them during the last period, and there is a plan that will be reported to them and updated according to the changes, as well as there are other qualitative and deterrent procedures that we will follow during the current year to reach integrated border ports in all aspects of logistics.”
Binding government decisions
Al-Waeli explained that “the governorates are concerned with the development of border crossings through the revenues achieved, and there is high coordination with the provinces and a large reconstruction process witnessed by most of Iraq’s ports.”
He pointed out that “there are outlets that need more efforts than the provinces, and a prime minister has paid great attention to this file, and government decisions were issued obliging the provinces to rebuild the outlets from their revenues in order to improve the reality of work.”
