Iraq’s former Trade Minister charged with wasting US$245 millions

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Integrity Commission, Khalid Abdullah al-Alwany, has charged Iraq ’s former Trade Minister, Abdul-Falah al-Soudany, with having wasted US$245 millions of his Ministry’s budget.   “During our checking of the Trade Ministry’s contracts for the year 2008, we find out the wasting of US$245 millions, being contracts of vegetable oil only,” Alwany, said in a statement, issued by his al-Iraqiya Coalition on Monday.   Alwany said that former Trade Minister, Abdul-Falah al-Sundany and the Ministry’s Director-General for Foodstuff, (whose name he did not give,) “had been responsible for the said loss.”   “The reason for the loss had been the payment of large amounts for the prices of foodstuff in contracts, signed with the supplying companies,” he said, adding that “the quantity of vegetable oil, that reached 15,000 tons for 1,332 dollars per ton, whilst the price cited in the contract had reached 2,400 dollars per ton.   Alwany said that “the quantity of imported vegetable oil had been enough to cover Iraq ’s needs for the years 2,008, 2,009 and 2,010, whilst the expiry of the imported vegetable oil did not exceed 2 years.”   SKH (IT)