02-03-2010
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Suleymaniyah - Mahmud Osman of the Kurdistan Alliance in Sulemaniyah agrees there is corruption in both Kurdistan and Iraq. “Some systems prevent corruption, our system helps corruption.”
Osman said Kurdistan and Iraq needs financial checks and transparency. Commenting on the alleged corruption of Ashti Hawrami, Osman said that ‘we have the right to investigate the oil minister.”
“We need financial checks, investigations, accountability, transparency. We have no transparency, that’s why we have corruption,” says Mahmud Osman. Despite of this, Osman says sometimes people talk about people being corrupt, without having proof. Osman said the information should be first investigated, before published. “I think we have corruption, we couldn’t say the whole thing corrupt. If there is any information, they should try to check it and try to organize a campaign against corruption.”
He also criticized Gorran. “They don’t give information, they should give it. That’s one thing wrong in Iraq and here. If someone is corrupt, you should give it to the state privately. Without investigations, you hurt people.” He said he wouldn’t want to join Gorran. “I’ve been talking about this issues [transparency, corruption] before them.”
According to Osman, if there is proof for anybody, they should be accountable, even the oil minister. “Our work should be transparent. Our oil minister did something which is not transparent. Therefore we have the right to investigate.” The PM Nechirvan Barzani said the KRG sanctioned the transactions, but the Times Online newspaper said Ashti Hawrami earned millions in secretly trading shares and owned a mansion in the UK.
Mahmud Osman said one of the biggest problems in Kurdistan is transparency. He said the KRG should be transparent and open to the people about everything, including the budget. “If they were transparent, we wouldn’t have these problems.”
© Rudaw
Osman said Kurdistan and Iraq needs financial checks and transparency. Commenting on the alleged corruption of Ashti Hawrami, Osman said that ‘we have the right to investigate the oil minister.”
“We need financial checks, investigations, accountability, transparency. We have no transparency, that’s why we have corruption,” says Mahmud Osman. Despite of this, Osman says sometimes people talk about people being corrupt, without having proof. Osman said the information should be first investigated, before published. “I think we have corruption, we couldn’t say the whole thing corrupt. If there is any information, they should try to check it and try to organize a campaign against corruption.”
He also criticized Gorran. “They don’t give information, they should give it. That’s one thing wrong in Iraq and here. If someone is corrupt, you should give it to the state privately. Without investigations, you hurt people.” He said he wouldn’t want to join Gorran. “I’ve been talking about this issues [transparency, corruption] before them.”
According to Osman, if there is proof for anybody, they should be accountable, even the oil minister. “Our work should be transparent. Our oil minister did something which is not transparent. Therefore we have the right to investigate.” The PM Nechirvan Barzani said the KRG sanctioned the transactions, but the Times Online newspaper said Ashti Hawrami earned millions in secretly trading shares and owned a mansion in the UK.
Mahmud Osman said one of the biggest problems in Kurdistan is transparency. He said the KRG should be transparent and open to the people about everything, including the budget. “If they were transparent, we wouldn’t have these problems.”
© Rudaw
