Al-Kazemi’s efforts to combat corruption collide with the Iraqi “federal” wall

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]Al-Kazemi’s efforts to combat corruption collide with the Iraqi “federal” wall[/size]

[size=45]The absence of political will to eradicate the scourge is another obstacle[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/size]
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi (Reuters)

[size=45]So far, no one knows whether Mustafa Al-Kazemi, the outgoing Iraqi prime minister, will form, or not, the next government, which also no one knows when it will see the light. According to what is going on in the corridors of Iraqi politics, Al-Kazemi is still one of the strongest candidates, despite his collision with various parties over more than one file. The two important files that were and are still controversial are the uncontrolled arms and the relationship with the armed factions, and the issue of fighting corruption.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kazemi, who came from the intelligence service, accepted what appeared to be great challenges ahead. However, because of his accurate knowledge of all the details and files about everything that is going on in the world of Iraqi politics, inwardly and outwardly, he had imagined that the task he faced in a very difficult circumstance and based on this intelligence background would make him able to maneuver. According to all indications, while Al-Kazemi succeeded in tasks that seemed difficult to others, he remained maneuvering in files that everyone, led by his opponents, knew that no one could resolve.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kazemi succeeded in holding the early elections that took place on October 10, 2021, with the will of the political blocs, while he announced his government’s readiness to hold them during the month of June, about four months before it was postponed at the request of the political blocs. This was the first challenge that Al-Kazemi succeeded in. Another challenge that he quickly retreated from tactically, but remained in the maneuvering circle, is the file of the armed factions. While he seemed to be in a hurry to resolve this issue with the first two months of the formation of his government, when security forces raided a den in the Al Buaitha area and arrested armed men accused of firing rockets, serious repercussions occurred at the time that forced him to retreat. He did not give up. Rather, he threw the ball into the court of other political forces, including those that sympathized with some armed factions, when it seemed to everyone that the matter was related to the prestige of the state.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kazemi continued to maneuver with the armed factions and negotiate with the Americans to schedule the final withdrawal, which was achieved at the end of last year. While it called on the Iraqi armed factions to volunteer in their ranks to start resisting the Americans after the end of the 31st of December, in order to resume their fight against them, given that the American withdrawal from their point of view is just a maneuver, nothing like this happened. Al-Kazemi succeeded in getting the Americans to withdraw and succeeded in removing the last pretexts of the armed factions.[/size]
[size=45]The dangerous task that Al-Kazemi tackled, which according to the dictionary of Iraqi politics, is similar to someone trampling on the head of the genie (Satan) is to fight corruption. The many agencies that fight corruption in Iraq (the Financial Supervision Bureau, the Integrity Commission, the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, and the offices of general inspectors) have not been able to overwhelm corruption in various state departments and institutions and turn it into mafias that are difficult to address. Al-Kazemi formed an anti-corruption committee called the "Abu Ragheef Committee", headed by Lieutenant-General Ahmed Abu Ragheef, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior. Abu Ragheef brought in and arrested many corruption suspects from different blocs, parties and forces. No one at first could resist the will to fight corruption. But after a short period, and because this committee began to “harass” adults, threads of action against it began to weave inside the corridors, including the search for legal loopholes. Indeed, the anti-corruption fighters found what seemed to be a loophole, so they went crying and knocking on the doors of the Federal Court after they smeared the committee’s shirt with blood. The federation seemed not a lie, based on the legal articles that are often dry and rigid, but can be adapted for the benefit of those who want to respect the constitution and the law to walk what he deems appropriate for him. . The Federation issued a decision canceling the Abu Ragheef Committee. Everyone was happy about this because everyone is involved in corruption, whether they are blocs, parties, or personalities. Yesterday, the Federation issued a clarification of its decision, the most important thing in it being that it is from the date of its issuance, which means that it has no retroactive effect. More importantly, the Federation, which seemed to have fought a lot in what is political, saw that its decision was based on the fact that there are bodies, including the Integrity Commission, that are in charge of combating corruption.[/size]
[size=45]And between the decision of the federal government to be legal or political, legal expert Faisal Rikan sees in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that “taking into account that the decisions of the Federal Court are respectable and enforceable, for the first time I feel that I do not agree with the decision taken by the court. ». He added that "the Federal Court stated in the rationale for its decision that the Anti-Corruption Committee had violated the provisions of Article 37 of the Constitution," noting that "at this point, I see that the investigative committee was formed to investigate according to the powers of the Prime Minister in forming investigative committees, and it is not reasonable." That director generals in the ministries affiliated with the Prime Ministry form committees, and the head of the highest executive authority is not allowed to form an investigative committee.”[/size]
[size=45]"The most important thing is that this committee was able, during the period of its formation, to uncover major corruption cases, and many of those convicted were sentenced by the judiciary," Rikan said.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]