Iraq oil inspector says smuggling threatens economy

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The inspector general of Iraq’s oil ministry released a grim report on oil smuggling on Tuesday, calling for an urgent government crackdown on what he said was the biggest threat to the economy.

The report cited oil smuggling as one of the main reasons behind billions of dollars in crude export losses, saying it had become “the most important and prominent” danger to the economy, which depends almost entirely on oil sales.

“We call for a serious government attitude to tackle these problems that harm the budget of the state and weaken the abilities of a country looking for a way to improve its standard of living,” said the report.

It also accused the government of collusion with a vast smuggling network and criticized authorities for failing to implement legal measures to combat the illegal trade.

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