PM Al-Zaidi Orders Formation of Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity and Public Funds Recovery

Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi on Saturday directed the formation of the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Public Funds Recovery. The directive came during his chairmanship of a special meeting focused on procedures for auditing government contracts. The meeting was attended by the Head of the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, the Head of the Federal Commission of Integrity, the Public Prosecutor, and the Judge of the Karkh Investigation Court specialized in integrity cases. Al-Zaidi will chair the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Public Funds Recovery, with the Head of the Federal Board of Supreme Audit and the Head of the Federal Commission of Integrity serving as members. The council's mandate includes supervisory follow-up on ministries, non-ministerial entities, and governorates, with a focus on core and impactful issues aimed at preventing public funds waste and recovering state assets. The council's findings are to be submitted to the judiciary. Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized the necessity of verifying the economic feasibility of projects and establishing specialized sub-committees to audit government contracts to ensure their compliance with current laws and regulations. The meeting also addressed the formation of a central committee, comprising representatives from the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, the Commission of Integrity, and the Ministry of Finance, to develop a mechanism for auditing and investigating government contracts before their conclusion, thereby ensuring their alignment with approved allocations.