US EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD SEES WIDESPREAD IRAQI CORRUPTION

"Currently, Iraq is not capable of even rudimentary enforcement of
anticorruption laws," according to a confidential draft assessment
prepared by the United States Embassy in Baghdad.

As a result, corruption has become "the norm in many [Iraqi government]
ministries."

"All indications point to corruption as undermining the support of the
population for Iraq's government."

The new report presents the detailed findings of an Embassy review of
corruption cases in major Iraqi government ministries and the
ineffectiveness of the anti-corruption Commission on Public Integrity.

The Maliki government is an enabler of the spreading corruption, the
report said.

"The Prime Minister's Office has demonstrated an open hostility to the
concept of an independent agency to investigate or prosecute corruption
cases."

"The Iraqi Government has been withholding basic support and resources"
from the anticorruption Commission.

The 82-page document, which has not been approved for public release,
is marked "Sensitive But Unclassified: Not for distribution to
personnel outside of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Iraq."

It was first reported by David Corn in The Nation. See "Secret Report:
Corruption is 'Norm' Within Iraqi Government," August 30:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?bid=3&pid=228339

A copy of the Embassy report was obtained by Secrecy News and posted
today on the Federation of American Scientists web site.

http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/anticorruption.pdf

"Corruption is rampant," according to the December 2006 Report of the
Iraq Study Group (at page 20). "One senior Iraqi official estimated
that official corruption costs Iraq $5 to 7 billion per year."