Iraqi minister arrested over Sadr links, accused of funnelling millions to Mahdi Army

An Iraqi health ministry employee shows a door with a military boot prints following the raid

Iraqi and US forces in Baghdad today arrested the country's deputy health minister on suspicion of providing significant help to Shia militia groups.

Hakim al-Zamili, a supporter of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, was detained during a raid on his office this morning, a health ministry official said.

A US military statement did not name Mr Zamili, but said troops had detained a senior health ministry figure "suspected of being a central figure in alleged corruption and rogue Jaysh Al-Mahdi infiltration", using an alternative name for Mr Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

The raid came a day after the US military announced the beginning of a new security plan to stop attacks in Baghdad. Today, at least 43 people were killed or found dead around Iraq, many in the capital.

According to the military statement, the arrested man is suspected of providing significant employment to Shia militia members who used health ministry facilities and services for "sectarian kidnapping and murder".

He is also implicated in the deaths of several ministry officials and allegedly ran corruption schemes involving inflated contracts for equipment and services, with millions of dollars then funnelled to the Mahdi Army militia.

The health minister, Ali al-Shemari, who has also has been linked to Mr Sadr, confirmed that Mr Zamili had been detained and condemned the action.

"This is a violation of Iraq's sovereignty," he said. "They should have a court order to carry out a raid like this."

Read the rest at the Guardian

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