• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Iraq issues arrest warrant for trade minister on corruption charges

Iran Press TV

Sun Oct 18, 2015 11:48AM

Iraq has issued an arrest warrant for the country's trade minister on corruption charges, officials say.

Iraqi authorities have called for the arrest of Mohammed Abdul Kareem and his brother following a corruption investigation, judicial spokesman Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar said on Sunday.

'The Central Investigation Court has issued an arrest warrant against the minister of trade and his brother on charges of financial corruption,' Biraqdar said in a statement.

Two officials at the trade ministry's legal section said the minister faced charges related to accepting bribes, receiving illegal benefits, and misusing his position.

Iraqi media reports say he is also suspected of awarding contracts without tenders to his brother, who is a wealthy businessman in Jordan.

According to the judiciary spokesman, their cases have been transferred to a specialized anti-corruption court in the capital, Baghdad.

On August 11, the Iraqi parliament unanimously approved a comprehensive plan proposed by the Iraqi premier, Haider al-Abadi, in a bid to eradicate corruption and reduce government costs.

As part of the initiative, Abadi eliminated Iraq's three vice president and three deputy prime minister positions. He also cut politicians' security details and dismissed 123 deputy ministers and general managers.

The following month, Iraqis took to the streets in support of the premier's reforms aimed at uprooting graft and mismanagement in the country.

Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, said recently that the reform campaign must continue, and the government must quickly prosecute the "big thieves of public funds."

The reform plan in Iraq comes as the country's army forces have been battling Takfiri Daesh militants in its northern and western regions since last year. The foreign-backed militancy in Iraq has claimed the lives of hundreds of people and left more than three million others displaced.