VZCZCXRO5683
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #3393 2831350
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101350Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3811
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003393 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ECON
SUBJECT: KEY FINANCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL ASSASSINATED 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  SUMMARY: On October 3, Director General of Accounts 
at the Ministry of Finance (MOF) Mr. Gazi Faisal was 
assassinated 100 meters from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) 
building.  Gazi worked closely with the Embassy and 
international donor community and was often the sole source 
of important information related to budget execution, 
expenditures, and Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) legacy and 
post kinetic financing.  The MOF is taking steps to rebuild 
ministerial capacity in the wake of his death.  Minister of 
Finance Bayan Jabr told TreasAtt he will be reorganizing his 
office to replace Mr. Gazi with three Directors General 
(DGs), and will be moving parts of the MoF to a safer 
location to better protect his people.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Early in the evening of  October 3, Director 
General for Accounts Mr. Gazi Faisal was assassinated roughly 
100 meters from the MoF building.  He was in his 30s, and 
trained under influential MoF advisor Dr. Azez Hassan during 
his tenure as a professor at Baghdad University.  Gazi was 
unmarried and lived with his mother in Baghdad 
 
¶3. (SBU)  As a Sunni working in a predominately Shi,a 
Ministry, Gazi had been an employee of the Ministry dating 
back to the Saddam era.  He had been offered bodyguards by 
Jabr, but he turned down this additional protection, claiming 
that it attracted additional attention, made him more of a 
target, and caused his mother anxiety.  Working in a an 
increasingly Shi,a dominated organization, Gazi,s life was 
repeatedly threatened by insurgent elements in the building. 
But because of his close ties with Jabr, Gazi was told that 
he would remain safe as long as he looked after the 
Minister,s interests. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  TreasAtt staff initially referred to Gazi as "Dr. 
No," because if he appeared to never approve any expenditure 
of GoI funds.  Over time, however, our respect and 
understanding for him grew.  His work on budget formulation, 
allocation, and execution was invaluable.  He offered 
critical insights into how spending units related to the MoF, 
line ministries, and the provinces, and he played a pivotal 
role in the release of funds.  Mr. Gazi made an uneasy peace 
for himself in a difficult situation because he insisted that 
all those seeking funding from the GoI adhere to strict 
regulations.  Once necessary documentation was in order, he 
would make those payments authorized by Dr. Azez and Jabr in 
a timely manner. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Gazi played a vital role in keeping the MoF 
functioning.  With few automated systems to back him up, he 
invariably found the correct answers to questions on 
meticulously handwritten 14 column spreadsheets.  Gazi worked 
closely with the Embassy and the international donor 
community.  He was an active participant in the join MoF and 
World Bank Public Expenditure and Institutional Assessment 
Workshops, and he most recently participated in the PRT 
Budget Execution Conference at the Embassy. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  TreasAtt visited Jabr on October 6 to offer his 
condolences.  During this visit, Jabr confessed to TreasAtt 
his shock that he could not protect such a key employee. 
TreasAtt discussed the difficulty in replacing a man so 
crucial in the budget execution process, and suggested that 
the Minister replace Gazi with 4 DGs who would cover, 
respectively: Provincial Accounts, Central Government 
Accounts, International Accounts, and a senior Administrator 
to oversee these units and take charge of the overall budget 
execution process. 
 
¶7. (SBU) At a dinner a few days later, Jabr thanked TreasAtt 
for his recommendations.  Jabr said he was moving key 
ministry offices to a safer location in an effort to better 
protect his people.  Responding to TreasAtt's suggestions, 
Jabr indicated he intended to replace Gazi with three DGs. 
Emad al-Na,eb will oversee the two other DGs and will be 
responsible for Provincial Accounts. Mr. Awatef, who was 
Gazi,s assistant, will be responsible for either Ministerial 
or International Accounts. The third DG is yet to be 
determined.  Given the increasing demands on budget 
execution, including financial reporting, this reorganization 
should position the MoF to improve budget execution despite 
the loss of Mr. Gazi. 
CROCKER