BAGHDAD — Iraq's top corruption fighter said Wednesday that $8 billion in government money was wasted or stolen over the past three years and claimed he was threatened with death after opening an investigation into scores of Oil Ministry employees.
In the lawlessness of Iraq, such threats are not taken lightly. Radi al-Radhi, who runs the Public Integrity Commission, leads one of the more dangerous missions in the country. He told The Associated Press that 20 members of the organization have been murdered since its inception.
In one recent case, an estimated $2 billion disappeared from funds to rebuild the electricity infrastructure. Former Electricity Minister Ayham al-Samaraie, who holds both U.S. and Iraqi citizenship, was convicted in that case and sentenced to two years in prison.
He escaped from an Iraqi-run jail on Dec. 17 and turned up in Chicago on Jan. 15. Al-Samaraie has said the Americans helped him escape.
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Corruption is encouraged by a constitutional clause that gives Cabinet ministers the power to block investigations, al-Radhi said. He said ministers have blocked probes into the theft or misspending of an additional $55 million.
Two years ago he asked the Constitutional Court to strike the clause, but the panel has never issued a ruling.
On Wednesday, he took the matter to Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who promised to back his efforts, al-Radhi said. Al-Mashhadani's office said the parliament speaker promised to support the anti-corruption move.
Also Wednesday, gunmen abducted 22 Shiite shepherds who were tending thousands of sheep and had wandered into a dangerous Sunni area west of Baghdad, while six power plant workers were gunned down in northern Iraq.At least 34 people were killed or found dead Wednesday.
Find a slide show of recent photos from Iraq at azstarnet.com/attack
U.S. toll in Iraq
• Deaths: 3,256
• Wounded: 24,476
Latest identifications
• Army Spc. Curtis R. Spivey, 25, Chula Vista, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
• Army Pfc. Gabriel J. Figueroa, 20, Baldwin Park, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Source: Department of Defense.
