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| Iraq |
| Iraqi official detained over money extortion |
| 2009-09-04 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] Iraqi anti-graft officials have reportedly arrested a deputy transport minister after an under cover operation in which he purportedly tried taking bribes from a firm. Head of Iraq's corruption watchdog, the Integrity Commission, Rahim al-Ugaili, told Reuters that Adnan al-Ubaidi was caught taking the bribe on camera on Wednesday. The foreign security firm in coordination with the commission arranged a shell game acting as if it was paying the first installment of an agreed half-a-million-dollar payment for the renewal of a security contract. "He was blackmailing the firm, which is owed $2 million by the government, when it wanted to renew its contract," said the head of the Iraqi parliament's Integrity Committee, Sabah al-Saedi, said. An epidemic of corruption continues to plague war-shattered Iraq as billions of dollars in government funds go missing each year. According to the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption, Transparency International, the country stood behind Somalia and Myanmar last year. Although several authorities have been caught diverting funds or extorting bribes each year, only a handful have been prosecuted so far. Iraq's former trade minister was arrested in a burgeoning corruption scandal after his plane was ordered back to Baghdad while en route to the United Arab Emirates. Abdul-Falah al-Sudani, who resigned on May 14 after allegations of massive corruption in the Trade Ministry, was taken into custody after his commercial flight returned to Baghdad International Airport. The 62-year-old dual British-Iraqi national is accused of stealing public money and mismanaging the ministry by importing expired foods and employing his relatives, including two brothers. |
| Posted by:Fred |