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Graft case against ex-minister splits Iraq parties
 The arrest Saturday of a former top official on allegations of graft reflects Iraq's attempt to prove it is serious about fighting corruption, but political rivalries are making it hard to move other such investigations forward in parliament.Lawmakers are increasingly dividing along party lines ahead of national elections in January, as they move to polish images and prepare candidates for campaigns. They said the split is making it hard to reach a consensus on which investigations to pursue, despite any evidence of wrongdoing. Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudani was taken into custody at Baghdad's airport after the Dubai-bound airplane he was on was ordered to turn back. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had accepted Mr. Sudani's resignation last week, following two days of questioning in parliament. He is charged with mismanaging public funds and improperly using his authority in relation to the ministry's food-rations program. Mr. Sudani has denied the accusations. His brother, Sabah Mohammed al-Sudani, an aide to the minister, was arrested on May 7 and charged with embezzlement. He denies wrongdoing. Mr. Sudani was seen as a relatively easy target because his ministry was widely considered one of the most corrupt in Iraq. Now, lawmakers want to question top officials in the ministries for oil, transportation, electricity and the national elections commission. The watchdog group Transparency International listed Iraq as the third most corrupt country in the world in 2008. One example of the political fighting surrounds the case of Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, an official now facing accusations of mismanagement and graft. Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said the accusations are tied to politics, not facts. Lawmaker Jabber Khalifa al-Jabber said his Oil and Gas Committee had 140 lawmakers' signatures to request Mr. Shahristani to come to parliament for questioning. But this past week, more than a dozen parliamentarians, most from the United Iraqi Alliance bloc that includes Mr. Maliki's party, asked to withdraw their names. Mr. Shahristani is an independent member of the Alliance. The committee had to start over, this time getting 125 signatures. "It seems there is some political interference with our wish to question the oil minister," said Mr. Jabber, a member of the Fadhila party. Mr. Maliki's adviser denied interference. He said the oil minister is being targeted because of the campaign ambitions of other lawmakers. Posted by: ryuge 2009-06-01 |
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