Financial analyst Khaled Al-Zantouti told our source in an exclusive statement: “Some of our officials have a habit of attributing failures and shortcomings to others, creating excuses for themselves and shifting blame. We are used to this, especially when officials come from conflicting factions loyal to certain governments, legislative bodies, or shadow administrations. They feel compelled to direct all accusations at the other side—accusing them of ignorance, deception, misleading the public, hiding facts, etc.—and the truth gets lost somewhere between them. Sometimes, we might never know the truth; it may even be buried with those who know it.”
He added: “However, it is unacceptable for this dispute and blame-shifting to occur between two parties, one responsible for delivering public funds (oil sales) and the other required by law to receive them in full. Sometimes, this escalates to accusations of withholding information, negligence, or mismanagement. This is what recently happened between the Central Bank and the National Oil Corporation. The Central Bank reported a specific figure for a given period representing oil sales recorded in its account at the foreign bank, which was much lower than expected. In response, the other party—the National Oil Corporation—criticized the Central Bank, claiming it failed even in performing its simplest duties.”
Al-Zantouti continued: “I am not blaming either party here, but with a simple calculation using paper and pencil, one can identify where the shortfall occurs. The quantities and prices of oil sales are known, the foreign partner’s share is known, as well as what is transferred to local refineries. The remainder should be deposited into the Central Bank’s account. The key question that must be answered accurately is: where is the value of our oil sales? Please, tell us how much revenue we earned and whether it was fully deposited according to the law. Instead of these disputes and accusations, we should focus on the numbers. It only requires basic multiplication, addition, and subtraction—even a fourth or third-grade student could calculate it. Turning precise figures of our oil sales into childish quarrels—this is truly the end of times.”
