27 October 2015
Trade Minister Milas Mohammed Abdul Kareem’s media adviser, Nadhim Naeem was killed last month by a bomb attached to his car, said Reuters in an exclusive report. The report added that Naeem was about to handover files accusing trade ministry officials of corruption to the country’s integrity commission. Baghdad’s Central Investigative Court for Terrorism and Organised Crime said in a statement that four Trade Ministry security guards have confessed to the crime.
Iraqi officials have not found any evidence connecting Trade Minister Milas Mohammed Abdul Kareem to the crime.
Iraq is one of the biggest importers of rice and wheat. Trade Ministry is responsible for the contracts for the supply of these commodities. There are plenty of opportunities for the Ministry officials to make money. They did make use of all the available opportunities. One shipment of rice from Uruguay was found to be unfit for consumption.
Unbridled corruption in the trade ministry prompted Nadhim Naeem to do something about it. Corruption knows no boundary, so they took his life.
Iraqi authorities have issued last Sunday arrest warrant for Mohammed Abdul Kareem in connection with bribery, illegal benefits and abuse of power. Abdul Kareem said the warrant was not based on solid evidence.
War torn Iraq is one of the most corrupt country in the world. It was ranked 170th out of 175 countries in the Transparency International’s perception of corruption list of 2014. Ten former ministers have been found guilty of various charges brought by the parliament’s Commission of Integrity.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had promised to clean up the corruption in the government. Does he have the will to do that? Falling oil prices and war with ISIS across the country have taken a toll on the country’s economy.
