Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Wall Street Journal
June 28, 2008
Pg. 5
Conflicting Edicts, Poorly Trained Staff Hinder Key Agency
By Gina Chon
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's anticorruption agency -- responsible for investigating allegations of stealing public funds and other malfeasance by government officials -- is continuing to stumble despite efforts to revive it.
Fighting corruption is key to rebuilding Iraq, both U.S. and Iraqi officials said, as the country turns its focus from security to providing basic services and promoting economic development. But the agency in charge of those efforts has been stymied, because of conflicting government directives, inadequately trained workers and other hurdles.
Last year, the agency lost its boss, Judge Rahdi Hamza al-Rahdi, who defected to the U.S., and work ground to a halt. Then came a 20% drop in the commission's active caseload, as many staff members became afraid and demoralized after losing Mr. Rahdi, whom they saw as their protector and advocate.
Other roadblocks arose. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had issued a directive allowing ministries to interfere with the work of the anticorruption agency, undermining its independence and authority. This led to a number of cases getting frozen and staff becoming more demoralized.
During its most active period, from 2004, when the organization was created by the Coalition Provisional Authority, to 2007, the commission had launched 3,000 investigations. About 100 cases went to court and resulted in convictions; the rest couldn't be fully processed because of lack of evidence.
Some of the cases included one involving former Defense Minister Hazem Shalaan, who was accused of embezzling $1 billion in military funds that had been allocated for buying weapons and other equipment. He has fled the country, and the case was dropped.
There have been some encouraging signs, such as Mr. Maliki's 18-point plan to fight corruption announced in January. A U.S. official in Baghdad said it remains to be seen whether the plan is implemented, but the government's move to create a program is a step forward compared with the past, when security concerns trumped anticorruption efforts.
"If the commission didn't exist, there would be even more corruption, and government officials would be stealing even more money than they already do," Mr. Rahdi said in a recent interview from his home in Virginia.
Iraq has ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and Mr. Maliki highlighted the importance of fighting corruption during a meeting of donor countries and the U.N. in May. A government spokesman reiterates that tackling corruption is a priority.
But U.S. officials and members of the commission said that isn't enough. Last year, the commission's work became hamstrung by several government directives. One order allows ministers to block the prosecution of officials in their relevant ministry. Mr. Maliki's office also issued a letter last year saying the agency, the Commission on Public Integrity, needed to get his consent before it forwarded any cases to the courts that involved the president, prime minister, and past or current ministers.
U.S. officials tried to persuade the Iraqi government to cancel the directives but were unsuccessful, the U.S. official said.
The commission's work has been criticized by many top government officials, who accuse the agency of being overzealous. If the agency were successful, it would be able to openly hold government officials accountable for corruption, but this hasn't been the case. The former head of the agency, Mr. Rahdi, received numerous threats because he criticized Mr. Maliki's government for rampant corruption. Eventually, along with the commission's head of security and chief investigator, he fled to the U.S. seeking asylum.
The commission also has had quick turnover of chiefs within six months. Currently, Judge Rahim al-Ugaili has been appointed as interim chief. Some commission staff members said he has good intentions but isn't strong enough to withstand the pressure.
"We are already risking our lives by working on these cases, but no one seems to want to help us," said one commission employee, who has received death threats and didn't want to be named.
Mr. Ugaili said the commission is trying to rebuild itself, but a problem is the lack of qualified staff. Of the commission's 1,285 employees, most have an elementary- or high-school education. He said they are receiving fewer tips than before, a sign the public has lost faith in the agency's ability to fight corruption.
Commission staff also said government obstruction continues to hinder progress on certain cases. An investigation into whether Defense Ministry officials received a bribe for a $114 million contract to buy batons and riot shields has stalled. The Defense Ministry said it won't provide any documents related to weapons purchases or other contracts, according to a document the ministry sent to the anticorruption commission.
A ministry spokesman recently defended the contract, saying the Iraqi military needs all kinds of equipment and it has the right to keep contracts to itself because it is sensitive information.
Meanwhile, commission members and others working on anticorruption efforts continue to face threats. In the past month, two deputy inspector generals have been slain and an auditor at the Ministry of Trade has been attacked. A total of 35 commission staff members have been killed, and that doesn't count staff who have been kidnapped or family members who have been killed.
"The U.S. and the Iraqi government are spending billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq, but where is that money going?" a commission employee said. "We want to tell people what is really going on, but it's useless now."
June 28, 2008
Pg. 5
Conflicting Edicts, Poorly Trained Staff Hinder Key Agency
By Gina Chon
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's anticorruption agency -- responsible for investigating allegations of stealing public funds and other malfeasance by government officials -- is continuing to stumble despite efforts to revive it.
Fighting corruption is key to rebuilding Iraq, both U.S. and Iraqi officials said, as the country turns its focus from security to providing basic services and promoting economic development. But the agency in charge of those efforts has been stymied, because of conflicting government directives, inadequately trained workers and other hurdles.
Last year, the agency lost its boss, Judge Rahdi Hamza al-Rahdi, who defected to the U.S., and work ground to a halt. Then came a 20% drop in the commission's active caseload, as many staff members became afraid and demoralized after losing Mr. Rahdi, whom they saw as their protector and advocate.
Other roadblocks arose. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had issued a directive allowing ministries to interfere with the work of the anticorruption agency, undermining its independence and authority. This led to a number of cases getting frozen and staff becoming more demoralized.
During its most active period, from 2004, when the organization was created by the Coalition Provisional Authority, to 2007, the commission had launched 3,000 investigations. About 100 cases went to court and resulted in convictions; the rest couldn't be fully processed because of lack of evidence.
Some of the cases included one involving former Defense Minister Hazem Shalaan, who was accused of embezzling $1 billion in military funds that had been allocated for buying weapons and other equipment. He has fled the country, and the case was dropped.
There have been some encouraging signs, such as Mr. Maliki's 18-point plan to fight corruption announced in January. A U.S. official in Baghdad said it remains to be seen whether the plan is implemented, but the government's move to create a program is a step forward compared with the past, when security concerns trumped anticorruption efforts.
"If the commission didn't exist, there would be even more corruption, and government officials would be stealing even more money than they already do," Mr. Rahdi said in a recent interview from his home in Virginia.
Iraq has ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and Mr. Maliki highlighted the importance of fighting corruption during a meeting of donor countries and the U.N. in May. A government spokesman reiterates that tackling corruption is a priority.
But U.S. officials and members of the commission said that isn't enough. Last year, the commission's work became hamstrung by several government directives. One order allows ministers to block the prosecution of officials in their relevant ministry. Mr. Maliki's office also issued a letter last year saying the agency, the Commission on Public Integrity, needed to get his consent before it forwarded any cases to the courts that involved the president, prime minister, and past or current ministers.
U.S. officials tried to persuade the Iraqi government to cancel the directives but were unsuccessful, the U.S. official said.
The commission's work has been criticized by many top government officials, who accuse the agency of being overzealous. If the agency were successful, it would be able to openly hold government officials accountable for corruption, but this hasn't been the case. The former head of the agency, Mr. Rahdi, received numerous threats because he criticized Mr. Maliki's government for rampant corruption. Eventually, along with the commission's head of security and chief investigator, he fled to the U.S. seeking asylum.
The commission also has had quick turnover of chiefs within six months. Currently, Judge Rahim al-Ugaili has been appointed as interim chief. Some commission staff members said he has good intentions but isn't strong enough to withstand the pressure.
"We are already risking our lives by working on these cases, but no one seems to want to help us," said one commission employee, who has received death threats and didn't want to be named.
Mr. Ugaili said the commission is trying to rebuild itself, but a problem is the lack of qualified staff. Of the commission's 1,285 employees, most have an elementary- or high-school education. He said they are receiving fewer tips than before, a sign the public has lost faith in the agency's ability to fight corruption.
Commission staff also said government obstruction continues to hinder progress on certain cases. An investigation into whether Defense Ministry officials received a bribe for a $114 million contract to buy batons and riot shields has stalled. The Defense Ministry said it won't provide any documents related to weapons purchases or other contracts, according to a document the ministry sent to the anticorruption commission.
A ministry spokesman recently defended the contract, saying the Iraqi military needs all kinds of equipment and it has the right to keep contracts to itself because it is sensitive information.
Meanwhile, commission members and others working on anticorruption efforts continue to face threats. In the past month, two deputy inspector generals have been slain and an auditor at the Ministry of Trade has been attacked. A total of 35 commission staff members have been killed, and that doesn't count staff who have been kidnapped or family members who have been killed.
"The U.S. and the Iraqi government are spending billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq, but where is that money going?" a commission employee said. "We want to tell people what is really going on, but it's useless now."