By John Lee.
The Iraqi Cabinet has endorsed recommendations from a meeting aimed at "unifying security measures" at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP).
According to a statement from the Media Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, the decisions are as follows:
- The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) will settle its dues to the Canadian company Biznis Intel from the date it commenced its duties as per the previously signed contract.
- Biznis Intel will be granted a work permit in accordance with the provisions of the Private Security Companies Law No. 52 of 2017, effective from October 1, 2023.
- The ICAA will extend the contract with the aforementioned company for an additional six months after the initial contract period expires.
- The ICAA is required to contract with a reputable foreign security company through direct invitations to foreign companies.
The appointment of Biznis Intel last year has been controversial, with G4S contesting the award, as it strongly believes there were significant irregularities in the procurement process.
The Economist reported that Mustafa al-Kadhimi approved the deal in his last weeks as prime minister. With apparent reference to the $2.5-billion tax fraud, dubbed the "heist of the century", it quotes an airport employee as saying that, "it's very easy now to bring things in and out ... A big amount of money is being smuggled out."
According to documents seen by Iraq Business News, Member of Parliament Alia Nassif Jassem (Aliya Naseef) had also asked the Integrity Commission to investigate the granting of the contract to Biznis Intel, claiming that correct procedures were not followed, that the company did not have sufficient experience to provide the service, and that it had not been granted the required licence by the Ministry of Interior.
(Source: Media Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister)
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