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On Monday, during his questioning at a session of parliament, Iraq’s Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi accused the Speaker of Parliament Salim al-Jabouri and several other government officials of involvement in corruption cases. Al-Obeidi, a member of the majority party Unity Alliance of Iraq, told the session that al-Jabouri, member of the Muttahidoon party, and other government officials had on several occasions lobbied on behalf of businesses and companies that wanted to sell planes, all-terrain vehicles, and other armaments to the army or to appoint officers and personnel at the Ministry of Defense.
The Defense Minister’s questioning originally aimed to respond to allegations of corruption within al-Obeidi’s own Ministry of Defense, which has been accused of wasting billions of dollars of public funds. Al-Jabouri called the allegations a “charade,” set up so al-Obeidi could avoid allegations of his own corruption, but announced that he would refrain from chairing parliament until his name is cleared. Al-Obeidi countered claims of his own corruption, saying he has drastically decreased spending on unnecessary or corrupted programs since becoming the ministry’s head.
In response to the allegations, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi launched an investigation into the accusations amidst risk of a re-ignited political crisis and upcoming military plans to retake Mosul. He also issued “temporary travel bans” against all of the officials named in Obeidi’s questioning session. A parliament-appointed committee will begin its investigation into the allegations on Wednesday.
Prime Minister al-Abadi has faced increasing numbers of anti-government protests calling for comprehensive reform and an end to endemic corruption. Al-Abadi’s efforts to combat corruption within the government have been met with resistance and have caused significant political disruption as the nation continues to fight the Islamic State.
In the last several months, thousands of protesters have take to the streets in Baghdad, twice storming the highly-fortified Green Zone. Earlier this month, thousands of demonstrators in Baghdad defied protest bans and warnings that marches would be treated as terrorist threats to demand an end to sectarianism and corruption. Shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been the ideological leader of many of the protests, has since called for a one-month suspension of demonstrations in order “to give room for taking reformatory steps.”
