Integrity is escalating and is preparing to overthrow corrupt governors and officials

Integrity is escalating and is preparing to overthrow corrupt governors and officials


 Baghdad / Wael Ne'ma

The "cyclone of integrity" is expected to reach a number of new provinces in the next few days. In the past weeks, the hurricane has ousted three governors and a number of local and executive officials on corruption charges.
Detainees have reservations about pending arrest warrants issued by impartiality, for revealing names for fear of escape of the accused.
The governor of Basra, Majid Nasrawi, fled the country on the basis of his foreign passport, before the Integrity Commission issued a travel ban.
Since the creation of the Integrity Commission 13 years ago, the Foundation has been accused of political subordination to the government. A number of corrupt officials managed to escape during those years, including three ministers.
Until mid-2007, the agency is still preventing more than 200 travel officials, including a number of ministers.
MP Ali al-Budairi, "the existence of new arrest warrants will soon be issued by the Integrity Commission, concerning governors and heads of provincial councils."
Last month, al-Badairi revealed a crackdown on local officials, days before arrest warrants were issued for Anbar governor Suhaib al-Rawi and Salahuddin Ahmed Abdullah al-Jubouri.
Al-Badairi, in an interview with Al-Mada yesterday, apologized for disclosing the names of the officials or provinces that will witness arrest warrants in corruption cases. "If we mention the name of an official, he will run away immediately," he said.
Hassan al-Yasiri, head of the Integrity Commission, commented on the news that the governor of Basra, Majid al-Nasrawi, fled two weeks ago that "the holiday on Friday and Saturday delayed the proceedings against the governor."
The governor of Basra left the country on Thursday, the same day he was ordered to stop traveling.
The body said in a statement after the incident that Nassrawi "went out after the conclusion of his press conference directly to Iran, which means before the arrival of the decision to prevent travel against him."
Earlier reports of integrity confirmed the indictment of more than 250 officials accused of smuggling money, including three ministers residing outside Iraq, namely Ayham al-Samarrai, Hazem al-Shaalan, and Falah al-Sudani.
The latest report confirmed the presence of 216 travel officials, including 18 ministers or ministers.
The report, which was issued mid-year, indicated the presence of 140 officials banned from traveling in 2017, including four ministers.
Is integrity independent?
"The pressure of public opinion and the approaching elections are one of the biggest engines to increase the activity of the Integrity Commission in the recent period."
In turn, MP Haider al-Fawadi, member of the Integrity Committee, denies that the Integrity Commission belongs to a particular political party.
Hasan al-Yasiri, who belongs to an independent bloc within the state of law, heads the agency two years ago.
"The activity of the authority has been going on for years, and there are ongoing arrest warrants," al-Fawadi said in a statement.
The Commission recently confirmed that it was an "independent body" and revealed that its employees had signed an undertaking preventing them from practicing any political or party activity or running for elections.
The member of the Commission on Integrity calls on the Commission to continue its work without paying attention to the accusations of politicization. But in return there is no "political pressures and old laws that hinder the work of the Commission."
"There are no red lines on any official who proves corruption cases," the head of the authority said in remarks last month. Recent measures of integrity led to the governor of Anbar Suhaib al-Rawi being sentenced to one year's suspended sentence, paving the way for his dismissal.
The Integrity Commission's reports also jailed Saladin Ahmed al-Jubouri for three years on charges of corruption. Sabah al-Bezouni, head of the Basra council, is still awaiting investigation into corruption cases. But MP Ali al-Budairi says that "political leaders intervened to bring out the governor of Babel Sadik Medlul temporarily from prison." "Integrity measures are good, but they do not apply to everyone, and that's where the problem lies," said a member of the National Alliance.
Two months ago, the court of misdemeanors in Babil issued a simple imprisonment for six months with a fine of one million dinars, after being convicted of corruption.
In a press release issued last May, the judge of the Babel court pointed out that "the convict tried to escape from the detachment after the verdict was issued, but the men of the detachment managed to bring him back."
Last week, the Integrity Commission issued an arrest warrant for the director general of Iraqi Airways, Samer Kubba, for two years.
On the other hand, leaked information about the issuance of travel ban against the governor of Dhi Qar Yahya Naciri. This came days after the deputy governor and several of his aides were arrested on charges of corruption.

Where did you get this?
The head of the Integrity Commission, recently, that the number of accused referred to the judiciary during the current year, "reached (2512) accused, including 16 ministers and those of their rank."
"The Commission's investigations led to the issuance of 3198 arrest warrants, of which 836 were executed," he told a news conference in Baghdad.
In the meantime, MP Abdul Karim Abtan, a member of the Integrity Committee, that "the achievements of the Integrity Commission is not the level of corruption in the country."
"The amount of money that has been smuggled out of Iraq is much higher than that recovered by the Authority," Abtan said in a statement to Al-Mada.
The Commission revealed its success in restoring and preventing the loss of 92 billion dinars. The CMA's recovery department estimates that more than $ 1 trillion has been smuggled since 2003. But the Parliamentary Integrity Commission estimates the smuggled amount at only half a trillion dollars.
In August 2015, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi decided to start activating the principle of "where do you get this?" Against all officials. He instructed the Integrity Commission to form special teams to investigate the wealth of senior officials and special rank holders.
MP Abtan calls on the Integrity Commission to "limit the property of officials and every Iraqi who is rich at the expense of public money."

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