Special security forces in Iraq on Tuesday arrested Raad al-Haris, advisor to Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and the country’s former deputy minister of electricity, over charges linked to corruption and mismanagement.
The arrest is the first of its kind to affect an advisor of Kadhimi.
According to a document released by the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, an arrest warrant was issued against Haris based on a complaint filed against him by the permanent investigation committee.
Kadhimi, last September, had ordered the formation of a permanent committee focused on investigating cases of corruption and high-profile crimes.
The committee is headed by human rights officer Ahmed Taha Hashem and includes representatives of the intelligence and national security agencies and the Iraqi Commission of Integrity.
Haris, according to the Supreme Judicial Council, will face trial based on a penal code issued in 1983 which entails fines and jail time that can go up to ten years.
It is worth noting that Haris has worked as Iraq’s deputy minister of electricity for ten years before becoming Kadhimi’s advisor.
For many Iraqis, the Electricity Ministry is one of the most corrupt government bodies in the country.
Since 2003, the ministry has spent over $60 billion but failed to build a sufficient power network that meets the electricity consumption demand of Iraqis.
Given the complex and difficult nature of the electricity file and the astronomical squandering associated with it, the Iraqi parliament decided to form a special committee to probe contracts signed by the ministry.
The head of the probe committee and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hassan al-Kaabi, revealed that a preliminary report has been written on the billions of dollars squandered, administrative violations, and major corruption files.
Even though a report has been prepared, the committee is yet to disclose the results of its investigations.
State of Law Coalition lawmaker Aliya Nassif welcomed the arrest, blaming Haris for destroying the country’s electricity sector.
“We have previously released dozens of data that uncover corruption related to this mogul (Haris),” Nassif said.
She also expressed hope towards the probe committee succeeding in restoring all the funds plundered by Haris.
