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MPs slam ASEZA for waste of funds blamed on malpractice

By Khaled Neimat - Apr 08,2014 - Last updated at Apr 08,2014

AMMAN — The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) on Tuesday came under fire from lawmakers over allegations of “systematic” corruption practices in previous years.

The situation is “dangerous”, MP Rula Hroub told the press, referring to findings of reports compiled by the Audit Bureau examining the operations and investments in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) covering 2011-12.

At the press conference, Aqaba MP Mohammed Riyati stated that the losses resulting from ASEZA’s violations during the period in question reached more than JD18 million.

According to MP Khaled Hiari, who is familiar with the unreleased 2013 report, this figure will likely jump to JD23 million.

The MPs handling the file, who also include Tamer Bino, Mohammed Saudi and Nayef Leimoun, said they have referred certain cases to the prosecutor general for legal actions, while others will be sent to the judicial authority for further investigation.

Hroub said the Oracle system, which is the accounting software system used at ASEZ, has failed in protecting information and data. “It is very easy to make changes and update the data in this system without being discovered,” she said.

Furthermore, the MPs also said that the Audit Bureau report showed that ASEZA failed to apply the regulations governing investments in the duty-free zone, allegedly referring dozens of tenders to “certain companies and investors, whose names were repeated again and again”.

MPs also referred to “violations in renting and selling land transactions within ASEZA”, in which “several local and foreign investors unjustifiably benefited from exemptions”.

Meanwhile, Saudi, who heads the Finance Committee at the Lower House, said the country needs a more solid system of accountability as the current practices have loopholes, foremost of which is the  “other expenditures” item in the state budget.

He said the government has spent more than JD1 billion in five years, with an average of JD200 million each year under this item.

The MPs provided the press with what they said are reliable and legitimate documents that support their findings.

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