Slow reconstruction blamed on corruption
BAGHDAD, 6 September (IRIN) - It has been three years since the fall of the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's government and Iraqis are still lacking basic facilities such as power, clean potable water and sanitation, problems some experts blame on corruption.
"Corruption has become common in Iraq. Every government department is plagued by some type of corruption and the problem has become endemic countrywide," said Judge Radhi al-Radhi, head of the Commission on Public Integrity (CPI), which is tackling corruption.
So far, some 3,500 corruption cases have been investigated by the CPI, of which 780 cases have been lodged in court but fewer than 50 have been tried, according to officials.
Al-Radhi said that corruption was present in Iraq in many forms - from stealing money from coffers of ministries that should be used for the country's development, to the purchase of better grades by university students.
This endemic corruption has led to a dire lack of funds for a reconstruction process in a country which has some of the world's richest oil reserves. Now, families still suffer from having less than four hours of electricity a day, poor potable water and there is open sewage almost everywhere.
The missing millions
"About US $4 billion has been pilfered from state coffers and no one is taking responsibility - but we are working hard to find those responsible," al-Radhi said.
Read the rest at Reuters
"Corruption has become common in Iraq. Every government department is plagued by some type of corruption and the problem has become endemic countrywide," said Judge Radhi al-Radhi, head of the Commission on Public Integrity (CPI), which is tackling corruption.
So far, some 3,500 corruption cases have been investigated by the CPI, of which 780 cases have been lodged in court but fewer than 50 have been tried, according to officials.
Al-Radhi said that corruption was present in Iraq in many forms - from stealing money from coffers of ministries that should be used for the country's development, to the purchase of better grades by university students.
This endemic corruption has led to a dire lack of funds for a reconstruction process in a country which has some of the world's richest oil reserves. Now, families still suffer from having less than four hours of electricity a day, poor potable water and there is open sewage almost everywhere.
The missing millions
"About US $4 billion has been pilfered from state coffers and no one is taking responsibility - but we are working hard to find those responsible," al-Radhi said.
Read the rest at Reuters
posted by iraqnam at 7:05 PM
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