Arbil Traffic Police Office legalizes bribery.
Those who pay about $80 per vehicle, get rapid service.
The spokesman for the office rationalizes the decision, which he says comes from the Interior Ministry.
Transcript:
Reporter: Why has a VIP section been opened; won’t that result in discrimination between the rich an the poor?
Arbil Traffic Police Spokesman (Major Fazil Haji) : First of all, the section was opened by the Interior Ministry.
Arbil Traffic Police Office hasn’t opened it on its own.
Besides, the name designation was wrong. The name… when they say VIP…
actually it’s the Rapid Service Section.
Which exists everywhere; in developed countries as well; in all of Europe.
When you goes to a government office, and desire extra service, you pay fees in for it.
And that is not for an ordinary citizen with no issues.
It is rather more for companies, those that get fined for delayed payments.
That instead of paying $800 [fine] for each vehicle, they can come and pay $80 for each vehicle and get their affairs handled.
On top of that, there won’t be complications for citizens; it will prevent overcrowding.
Because any company comes, it has dozens of vehicles,
and all their affairs have to be handled when they get their turn.
Besides, misunderstanding the decision led to the creation of the hubbub.
In fact, according to the decision —not all of its details have been published—
the decision includes that the families of martyrs and those perished in the Anfal, and the disabled, can go to the same section without paying the fees.
Some people without… there are even those who have no vehicles, just to comment and interfere, they create a hubbub. It is merely to besmirch the government.
There are citizens who come on the 60th day at noon.
While according to the Interior Ministry each vehicle must be registered within 60 days.
If the 60 days has past and they come on the last day, to avoid getting fined $800, they say: I will pay the $80 and get my affairs quickly done in 30-60 minutes without getting in trouble.
Reporter: It has led to a lot of discontent by MPs, NGOs, lawyers and activists.
Arbil Traffic Spokesman:
The discontent is due to the misunderstanding of the decision.
The hubbub that is created, is done by a group of people that seek to stir up trouble to benefit from it, nothing more.
Otherwise the decision is a very good one. And the place is not closed, and it has no complications.