Torture and extortion mired the work of a special government committee tasked with investigating corruption in Iraq under the administration of former prime minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, the government said on Wednesday.
The government dismissed nine senior Interior Ministry officials as part of its investigation.
Shortly after taking office as interim prime minister in May 2020, former spy chief Mr Al Kadhimi established what is known as Committee 29, granting it special authority to investigate major corruption cases.
The now-defunct committee was headed by influential Interior Ministry official Lt Gen Ahmed Abu Ragheef, who served as deputy minister for intelligence and federal investigations.
It made several high-profile arrests of senior government officials and businessmen accused of corruption. Among them were the former director of the pension fund, the former president of the Baghdad Investment Commission, the former deputy electricity minister and the former director of the privately-owned electronic payment company Qi Card.
Critics of Mr Al Kadhimi, mainly Iran-backed Shiite political parties and militias, accused him of using Lt Gen Abu Ragheef’s committee to target opponents. Mr Al Kadhimi had troubled relations with pro-Tehran factions as he sought to rein them in.
Last December, the current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani ordered an investigation into alleged human rights offences perpetrated by the committee after a report by The Washington Post said it was using forms of torture to extract confessions.
On Wednesday, government spokesman Basim Al Awadi announced that the investigation found “shortcomings and human rights violations”.
"The probe committee recommended sending the file and all investigation papers to the judiciary, as there have been proven shortcomings," Mr Al Awadi said.
The spokesman only mentioned Lt Gen Abu Ragheef, eight other security officials and a police officer.
An Interior Ministry official told The National that three officers with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and one civil servant from the Commission of Integrity were also involved.
One of the suspects is still at large, the ministry official said.
According to an internal report issued by the INIS, Lt Gen Abu Ragheef “knew about torture and extortion while heading the committee and didn’t take any legal action”, while other individuals were also complicit.
Since taking office in late October, Mr Al Sudani has been replacing government officials with others close to the Co-Ordination Framework, the biggest parliamentary bloc backing him. Influential Tehran-backed Shiite militias and political parties form the backbone of the CF.
Mr Al Awadi defended the investigation, saying it was conducted “away from any reprisal or inhumane practices”.
Corruption has become a major crisis in the political landscape of Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The country ranked 157 out of 180 in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index in 2022.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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if you go
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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