Iraqi ministers on graft charges

Iraq has issued arrest warrants against the defence minister and 27 other officials from the US-backed government of former prime minister Iyad Allawi over the alleged disappearance or misappropriation of $US1 billion ($1.3billion) in military procurement funds. Those accused include four other ministers from Allawi's government, which was replaced by an elected cabinet led by Shi'ite parties in April.

Iraqi ministers on graft charges
The Australian, 12 October 2005

BAGHDAD: Iraq has issued arrest warrants against the defence minister and 27 other officials from the US-backed government of former prime minister Iyad Allawi over the alleged disappearance or misappropriation of $US1 billion ($1.3billion) in military procurement funds.
Those accused include four other ministers from Allawi's government, which was replaced by an elected cabinet led by Shi'ite parties in April.
Many of the officials are believed to have left Iraq, including Hazem Shaalan, the former defence minister, who moved to Jordan shortly after the new government was installed.


The corruption charges are a blow to Mr Allawi as he tries to assemble a group of moderates to run against the ruling Shi'ite-led coalition in a bid to get back into government in national elections planned for December.
For months, Iraqi investigators have been looking into allegations that millions of dollars were spent on overpriced deals for shoddy weapons and military hardware, reportedly to launder cash, when Iraq was battling the bloody insurgency against US-led forces that still persists.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated a car full of mortar shells near an entrance to the fortified Green Zone yesterday, killing a US soldier and six Iraqis in one of a string of insurgent attacks in which at least 13 other Iraqis also died.
Gunmen opened fire on a convoy carrying delegates from the Arab League in Baghdad during the organisation's first visit to Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
The league has met resistance from Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders as it tries to piece together a reconciliation conference with the Sunnis. A policeman was wounded in the shooting, but no one in the delegation was hurt.
The violence comes four days ahead of Iraq's key vote on a new constitution, which the Kurds and the majority Shi'ites largely support and the nation's Sunni minority rejects.
The Sunnis are campaigning to defeat the charter at the polls, although officials from all sides have been trying up to the last minute to agree on changes to the constitution in an effort to gain Sunni support.
Whether the constitution passes or fails, Iraq is due to hold elections for a new parliament on December 15.
With strong US backing, Mr Allawi was named head of the first transitional government after the US returned sovereignty to Iraq in June last year, but his Iraqi List party did poorly in the January parliamentary elections that swept the Shi'ite-Kurdish coalition to power.
Besides Mr Shaalan, arrest warrants were issued for Mr Allawi's labour, transport, electricity and housing ministers, as well as 23 former Defence Ministry officials.
An attempt was under way to strip Mr Shaalan, a member of parliament, of his immunity from prosecution. Parliament met yesterday to do so but could not achieve a quorum.
"The warrant was issued against Shaalan due to the corruption allegations regarding the missing $US1 billion in the Iraqi Defence Ministry. As soon as his immunity is lifted, the country where he is now living will be asked to extradite him to Iraq," an Iraqi official said, without naming the country.


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