Iraq’s anti-corruption court has issued 26 jail sentences to high-ranking Iraqi officials in a push to eliminate corruption and fraud in the country. Prime minister Haider Al Abadi announced on Wednesday that his government had taken crucial steps to stem corruption, which has crippled the economy. “We have taken rapid steps to tackle corruption, we have arrested and charged a number of corrupt officials,” Mr Al Abadi said in a tweet. The sentences ranged from six months to 15 years. Among…

The governor of the Iraqi province of Basra has fled to neighbouring Iran, amid a growing corruption scandal allegedly connected to other high ranking officials. Majid al-Nasrawi escaped the country with his son on Thursday through the Shalamjah border crossing hours after he stepped down from his position, which he has held since June 2013. The former governor is facing corruption charges, which also implicate his son, involving contracts for projects to build and improve services in the oil-rich city of…

INU -Prominent Shi’ite clerics from Iraq are calling for the demobilisation of powerful Iran-backed Shi’ite militias. This news comes now that the nation has got back from the Islamic State extremist group Mosul - its second-largest city. Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of a militia, said last week that he wanted Hashed al-Shaabi to demobilise. Al-Sadr is known for being very anti-American and is popular among the poor people in urban Baghdad. He is calling for the dismantling of Hashed al-Shaabi…

Iraq's hardliner Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Thursday called Iraqi people to hold massive demonstrations across Iraq on Friday against wide spread corruption. "I wish the people are aware of what corrupt politicians are engaged with a dirty scheme to restore corruption which will not only control the people's food, but also their necks and blood. So that they would stage demonstration by millions to determine their fate," Sadr was q uoted by Xinhua.  Sadr pointed out that the "sectarian…

The Iraqi Government has moved to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia, two days after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr in Jeddah. After its regular cabinet meeting, the government decreed establishing a committee, headed by Iraqi minister of interior, and including ministers of trade, industry, minerals and agriculture, dedicated to this effort. Iraq will seek to "strengthen economic and investment relations with Saudi Arabia", according to a statement from the cabinet, explaining that the deputy…

The images of the Iranian regime’s hegemony over all aspects of life in Iraq are clear. From trade to construction and raw material to its control of the banks, government, parliament and political parties. A New York Times report said that the Iranians are controlling everything, from the television stations to the drug trade. Iran is trying to justify its presence and control by saying that Iraq needs it and that without it, it will collapse, even claiming that it…

Former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s recent visit to Russia, which his office said was a protocol engagement, sparked controversy in Iraq as it reopened the wounds of what is described as corrupt military deals between the two sides.Parliamentary and partisan sources criticized Maliki, who is the country’s vice president, for not saying anything to Russia’s foreign minister who arrived late for their meeting.Maliki insisted on meeting Russian officials, all the way to President Vladimir Putin, in an attempt to…

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has issued a decision calling the detention of Ahmad Al Alwani, opposition member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, arbitrary since he “was targeted and discriminated against for his Sunni background and political opinions and activities”.  Al Alwani had been arrested in December 2013 and secretly detained for a month during which he was tortured in order to force him to sign a self-incriminating statement. Following a trial marred with irregularities, the…

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. envoy for Iraq warned Monday that the road ahead for the Mideast nation is “extremely challenging” following the liberation of Mosul, stressing that freeing other territory controlled by Islamic State extremists won’t be easy. Jan Kubis told the Security Council that supporters of the militant group are also continuing “their vicious terrorist activities against civilians in Iraq and beyond.” With the liberation of Mosul declared on July 10 by Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the…

(Beirut) – Allegations are emerging of Iraqi forces beating and unlawfully killing men and boys fleeing Mosul in the final phase of the battle against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), Human Rights Watch said today. Four witnesses told Human Rights Watch that they saw Iraqi forces beat unarmed men and boys fleeing the fighting within the last seven days, and said they also obtained information about Iraqi forces executing unarmed men during this time period. “As Iraqi forces are poised…