Iraq's integrity commission has arrested many senior officials in the past, but many politicians escape investigation due to their affiliation with powerful political groups. AFP
Iraq's integrity commission has arrested many senior officials in the past, but many politicians escape investigation due to their affiliation with powerful political groups. AFP
Iraq's integrity commission has arrested many senior officials in the past, but many politicians escape investigation due to their affiliation with powerful political groups. AFP
Iraq's integrity commission has arrested many senior officials in the past, but many politicians escape investigation due to their affiliation with powerful political groups. AFP

Iraq issued 98 arrest warrants for government officials in October


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraq issued 98 arrest warrants for government officials last October, the country’s integrity commission said on Thursday, as corruption continues to blight the country after decades of conflict and instability.

The arrests included current and former ministers, undersecretaries and former deputies, as well as former and current governors and director generals of several ministries, according to a statement from the commission.

Nearly 18 years after the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, and with critical infrastructure still neglected, Iraq continues to suffer from rampant corruption amid shortages of electricity, water, schools and hospitals.

Iraq placed 160th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s corruption perception index for 2020.

The country's integrity commission has arrested many senior officials in the past, but many politicians manage to dodge investigation due to their affiliation with powerful political groups that are able to exert pressure on the judiciary.

Some of Iraq's most powerful politicians have made fighting corruption their aim.

Last May, Iraqi President Barham Salih said nearly $150 billion was smuggled abroad from corrupt deals struck in 2019, and Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi launched an anti-corruption committee soon after he assumed office in the same month.

In a sign that the renewed focus on fighting corruption is beginning to bear fruit, a former deputy minister of electricity in Iraq was sentenced to six years in jail for corruption and mismanagement last week.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi has set his sights on the country's corruption problem. AFP
Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi has set his sights on the country's corruption problem. AFP

Raad Al Haris will also be fined $10 million after the Rusafa Criminal Court in Baghdad delivered the verdict, based on the findings of an investigation.

Al Haris received “financial bribes” and his conviction involved “the assignment of the electricity ministry’s project to affiliated sub-companies,” the court said in a statement.

Iraq hosted — in partnership with the Arab League — a conference to combat corruption and recover money looted by corruption last September. It focused on looted state funds and ways to regain them.

The UN envoy to Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, stressed last year how corruption has taken over Iraq's state institutions and the need to overcome it.

“Corruption remains endemic, and its economic cost untold as it continues to steal desperately needed resources from the everyday Iraqi, eroding investor confidence,” she said, in an address to the UN Security Council.

The UN body has warned various times that poverty in Iraq is increasing daily by more than 10 per cent and that more than three million Iraqis do not have enough food.

Iraq's threatened marshland habitat — in pictures

Honeymoonish
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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

How Apple's credit card works

The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.

What does it cost?

Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.

What will the interest rate be?

The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts

What about security? 

The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.

Is it easy to use?

Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision. 

* Associated Press 

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ABU DHABI CARD

5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m​​​​​​​
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m​​​​​​​
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m​​​​​​​
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m​​​​​​​
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
List of alleged parties
  • May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
  • 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
  • Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 
  • Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
  • Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters 
  • Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
  • Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 
Updated: January 13, 2022, 2:18 PM