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Corruption in Iraq Started as an ‘Ant’ and Became a ‘Dinosaur’

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi. ludovic Marin / AFP
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi. ludovic Marin / AFP
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Corruption in Iraq Started as an ‘Ant’ and Became a ‘Dinosaur’

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi. ludovic Marin / AFP
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi. ludovic Marin / AFP

They have fled Iraq, their pockets full, or been released from prison under amnesties.

Iraq ranked as the 10th most corrupt country in the world, according to Agence France Presse.

Even before he declared victory against ISIS in early December after a three-year battle, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the country's next fight would be against graft, vowing to "surprise the corrupt".

But according to Iraqi analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, "nothing will change as long as those who protect corrupt actors in the economy, security and the military are still comfortable.”

Member of parliament Majeda al-Tamimi said Iraq's corruption had grown "from the size of an ant to the size of a dinosaur" since the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Fighting it would be "difficult, fiercer than the fight against ISIS", she said.

"There are corrupt people in every party," she added.

One politician told journalists that stolen sums of less than $60 million "can be seen as honest; from there upwards we can speak of corruption".

Rahim al-Darraji, a member of the parliament's transparency commission, said some 6,000 "phantom contracts" had been signed to syphon off public money since 2003.

Through front companies running construction sites and building infrastructure that only existed on paper, some $228 billion had "gone up in smoke", he said.

That is equivalent to three times the annual budget and more than Iraq's GDP.

Analysts say such massive corruption helps explain why Iraq is sorely lacking in infrastructure and industrial or agricultural development.

Iraq, which is oil cartel OPEC's second largest producer, has been reduced to importing electricity and refined petroleum products. 

Some projects do reach completion, but bribes form a large part of the price paid by the state.

Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar slammed a law which provides for the release of corrupt officials if they agree to return the money they embezzled, arguing that profits from stolen funds remain out of the state's reach.

Another judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also criticized the legislation.

"For example, if someone a decade ago stole two billion dinars that have since earned twenty, they can just pay back the two billion and leave prison," the official said.

"It's like a bank loan."

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Arab World

Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Egypt to Counter Any Threat to Its Water Security 

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). (Getty Images/AFP file)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). (Getty Images/AFP file)
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Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Egypt to Counter Any Threat to Its Water Security 

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). (Getty Images/AFP file)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). (Getty Images/AFP file)

Egypt has warned it will take “necessary measures” to protect its historical rights to Nile waters, following new statements by Ethiopian officials that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is only the beginning of a wider dam-building plan.

A senior Egyptian official, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said Cairo remains committed to securing a binding agreement that regulates current and future projects on the Nile and its tributaries.

“Egypt will act to safeguard its water security in line with international law and treaties governing transboundary rivers,” the official said.

“We have always known Ethiopia has broader ambitions beyond the GERD. That’s why we’ve insisted from the beginning on a binding agreement, not only to limit the harm from GERD but to regulate any future projects as well.”

He added that Egypt considers Nile water a matter of national survival and would “resist any threat with full force.” Cairo is closely monitoring whether Ethiopia’s new dam plans will involve the Nile or other river systems, he said. “Each case will be assessed accordingly.”

The comments came after Ethiopia’s GERD Coordination Office head, Aregawi Berhe, told local media on Wednesday that the dam was “only the first step” in the country’s strategy for water and energy development.

“We cannot rely on just one dam,” he said, calling for additional projects to support agriculture, which he described as the backbone of Ethiopia’s economy and food security.

Berhe also said the GERD was built entirely with domestic funding, pushing back on earlier remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting American financial involvement.

'Vital lifeline’

Egyptian lawmaker Mostafa Bakry described the Ethiopian statements as “provocative” and accused Addis Ababa of seeking to impose a fait accompli, despite ongoing deadlock over the GERD negotiations.

“Ethiopia is treating the GERD as a closed chapter and is now openly discussing what comes next,” Bakry said. “Cairo has known from the start that Ethiopia wants to build dozens of dams under the pretext of development and agriculture. But the real goal is to control the river and limit Egypt’s water supply.”

“This is an existential matter for Egypt,” he warned. “We will not tolerate threats to our survival. Ethiopia must reconsider its course before the situation escalates.”

Ethiopia’s latest declarations come amid renewed international attention on the Nile dispute, following comments by Trump expressing concern over the dam’s potential impact on Egypt. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed the remarks and reiterated his country’s reliance on US mediation to broker a final agreement.

Earlier this month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the completion of GERD construction and set September as the date for its official inauguration, inviting Egypt and Sudan to attend. Cairo swiftly rejected the call, denouncing what it sees as Ethiopia’s continued unilateralism on Nile issues.

Skepticism

Egyptian water and Africa expert Dr. Raafat Mahmoud dismissed Ethiopia’s justification that future dams would support agriculture. “Most of Ethiopia’s terrain is unsuitable for conventional irrigation. It’s a rugged highland that relies on rainfall,” he said. “Even GERD was completed with great difficulty and at high financial cost. Additional dams will face the same hurdles.”

He argued that Ethiopia’s ambitions are driven less by development and more by geopolitical aspirations. “This is about positioning itself as a regional power and countering Egypt’s influence in Africa. It’s also part of a broader effort to gain access to the Red Sea and build a naval presence there.”

Still, Mahmoud said Egypt is unlikely to take immediate action unless a direct threat to its water supply materializes. “As long as there’s no measurable harm, Cairo will likely stick to diplomacy. But under international law, it reserves the right to act if its vital interests are jeopardized.”

He added that many of Addis Ababa’s announcements are aimed more at domestic audiences than at regional planning. “These public statements are often designed to rally Ethiopian citizens, even when they don’t reflect the realities on the ground.”