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Iraq's National Integrity Day suggests new era after years of corruption
After decades of being forced to celebrate a deeply corrupt regime, national officials have declared a new national observance: National Integrity Day.As the name suggests, the holiday, set for Dec. 9, celebrates integrity but also the achievements of the Iraq Commission on Public Integrity, an independent government organization that seeks out and investigates government corruption. National officials ushered in the new holiday Thursday with a lively celebration at the Baghdad Convention Center, a place once off-limits to all but Saddam Husseinâs closest cronies. The commissioner, Judge Radhi Hamza Al-Radhi, said the organization has investigated about 2,000 cases of corruption, big and small, since its inception in mid-2004. One ministry was found to have misused $1.3 billion in funds, he said. A slew of elected officials have been found to have taken bribes, and 600 such cases have been referred to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq for prosecution, Radhi said. The commission also educates schoolchildren on integrity, requires government employees to sign a code of conduct, and works in conjunction with two other Iraqi government entities to investigate and audit government departments. Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-12-10 |
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