Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi revealed that he had turned town a $200 million-bribe to cover up corruption in the Oil Ministry, adding that he was forming an anti-corruption council to tackle illicit activity.
The PM made the announcement before journalists and media figures on Saturday, saying the bribe was made by a prominent ministry official.
The journalists speculated that the official was Adnan Hamad Hamoud, Deputy Minister of Oil for Refining Affairs and Director General of the North Refineries Company, who was arrested on Friday.
Hamoud was relieved of his position in early May.
Media sources said on Sunday that authorities also arrested an employee who had worked at former PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office.
Zaidi’s revelations sparked uproar in Iraq over the extent of corruption in the country.
Political activist Hamed al-Sayyed commented that the figure who offered the bribe “didn’t act as though he were taking a risk, but he seemed to be acting out of habit, as if such acts are the norm and he had been successful at them in the past, and therein lies the catastrophe.”
“We shouldn’t be asking how he dared to do such a thing, but rather how many times has this happened before? How many prime ministers have been bribed and how many accepted it?” he wondered in a post on X.
Other users on social media noted that Hamoud had enjoyed cover from powerful parties and figures that concealed his illicit activities in return for reaping gains from shady deals and contracts.
Supreme integrity council
In wake of his unprecedented revelation, Zaidi ordered the formation of the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds.
The PM’s office said he had chaired a meeting dedicated to inspecting government contracts. The meeting was attended by heads of the Board of Supreme Audit, the Federal Commission of Integrity and chief judge of the Karkh Investigation Court.
Zaidi added that the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds would be comprised of heads of the Board of Supreme Audit and the Federal Commission of Integrity to stem the waste of public funds and reclaim them.
Results of their work will be referred to the judiciary, he said.
He stressed the need to assess the need for some economic projects and for by-committees to be formed to inspect government contracts to ensure they abide by laws and regulations.
The Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds has already come under criticism.
MP Mohammed Jassem al-Khafagi said on Sunday that the body does not have any legal basis.
He explained that according to the constitution, the Board of Supreme Audit and the Federal Commission of Integrity are bound to parliament and these independent bodies aim to monitor the work of the executive authority and investigate corruption cases and the waste of public funds.
“These bodies target ministries, ministers and the prime minister, so how can he be at their head” he asked.
Iraq has formed numerous anti-corruption bodies over the years, none of which have helped combat the illicit activity.
Former PM Nouri al-Maliki formed one in 2007, then Haidar al-Abadi's government formed one in 2016. Former PM Adel Abdul Mahdi did the same in 2018, followed by Mustafa al-Kadhimi in 2020 and Sudani in 2022. Despite all of these efforts, Iraq continues to be named as one of the world’s most corrupt countries.
Given the poor record, economic expert Ziad al-Hashemi said: “We must be realistic and not get carried away with optimism that the era of corruption in Iraq was nearing its end with this government.”
Nothing will change “as long as governments are being formed by the same system that has caused the economic disasters Iraq has suffered from over the year,” he stressed in a post on X.
“Corruption in Iraq is formed from and backed by sponsors in top decision-making positions, both official and non-official, and through parties or through the force of arms,” he noted.
