Iraqi PM Discusses Anti-Corruption Measures with Judiciary

Arab World

January 23rd, 10:08am

Baghdad – Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (AP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Sunday that his government is working on ensuring the independence of the Iraqi judiciary. Sudani’s statement followed two separate meetings he held with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Faiq Zaidan and President of the Federal Supreme Court Judge Jassim Mohammed Abboud. During his meeting with Abboud, Sudani stressed the importance of the rule of law that should prevail in all circumstances and that the government demonstrates in all its actions that Iraq is a country governed by the constitution and the law. Abboud, for his part, the importance of consolidating the supremacy of the authority of the law above all institutions and for the judiciary to be the citadel that guarantees to provide the grounds for achieving the will of the Iraqi people, stressing the government's support for the implementation of its governmental program. In his meeting with Zaidan, Sudani discussed ways of fighting corruption in Iraq. The Iraqi judiciary had issued a decision to release the main suspect, in what was known as “the theft of the century,” Nour Zuhair Jassim, in exchange for recovering the money he admitted to stealing. Jassim had embezzled about one trillion Iraqi dinars (about $800 million). Moreover, the Iraqi Judicial Authority released Haitham al-Jubouri on bail, one of the primary perpetrators behind a corruption scheme that led to the theft of at least $2.5 billion from the bank accounts of the country's General Commission of Taxes last year. Jubouri was the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and adviser to Iraq's former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. He stands accused of embezzlement of millions of dollars in public funds. At a time when the judiciary determined the legal justifications according to the Iraqi laws in force, which allow bail in such cases regardless of the amount of stolen money, there was widespread criticism of both the government and the judiciary for releasing the perpetrators.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4114191/iraqi-pm-discusses-anti-corruption-measures-judiciary