Shafaq News / Former Iraqi representative Mansour Al-Tamimi said on Tuesday, that a "legislated theft" is taking place in the Iraqi Ports Company in Basra Governorate, demanding an investigation into a big money contract with an Emirati company.

Al-Tamimi said in a statement to Shafaq News agency, that the Iraqi Ports Company signed a 22 years contract to rent tugboats from the UAE-based "Jiwar Al-Khalij" company, in exchange for astronomical sums of money.

He added that, "the Emirati company will obtain financial revenues of up to $ 1.7 billion during the contract period, from leasing of the tugboats operating in the ports and oil platforms".

Al-Tamimi considered, "what is happening is a theft", explaining that, "the state can buy tugs with modern specifications at cheaper prices, but corruption hampers this."

Al-Tamimi asked, "Was there a competing company during the bidding process? How have the terms of the contract been set?", Calling on the Iraqi lawmakers to open an investigation into this act.

Despite reaping large scale profits from crude oil sales, Iraq is among the most corrupt countries in the world over the past years, according to the Transparency International index. Corruption played a fundamental role in undermining the country's institutions; that became unable to provide basic services such as safe potable water, education, healthcare services, etc…
fighting corruption is the main demands of protestors who are marching the streets all over the country, since the beginning of last October.