INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Alaq Highlights Primacy of Inspectors General In

Published: Fri 27 Jun 2008 04:27 AM
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PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #1963 1790427
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270427Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8002
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS BAGHDAD 001963
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR INL/C/CP, INL/I, NEA/I and S/I
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IZ KCOR KCRM PGOV EAID PREL
SUBJECT: ALAQ HIGHLIGHTS PRIMACY OF INSPECTORS GENERAL IN
ANTI-CORRUPTION INVESTIGATIONS
1. (U) SUMMARY: In a June 25 meeting with visiting INL consultants
and ACCO staff, Joint Anti-Corruption Commission (JACC) chairman and
Council of Ministers Secretary General Ali Alaq stressed his
interpretation of the ministries' Inspectors General (IG's) as the
vanguard of Iraq's anti-corruption enforcement in Iraq. Alaq noted
that coordination between the IG's and the Commission on Integrity
(COI) had improved. He also promised the team, as well as ACC
Ambassador Benedict in a separate meeting June 26, that his staff
would provide the Embassy with an updated assessment by next week of
the GOI's implementation of its 18-point anti-corruption action
plan, as initially outlined by DPM Salih at the first Iraqi
anti-corruption conference in January. END SUMMARY.
PERCEIVED PRIMACY OF INSPECTORS GENERAL
---------------------------------------
2. (U) In a 25 June meeting with visiting INL consultants and ACCO
staff, Joint Anti-Corruption Commission (JACC) chairman and Council
of Ministers Secretary General Ali Alaq stressed his interpretation
of the ministries' Inspectors General as the vanguard of
anti-corruption enforcement in Iraq. A former Ministry of Oil IG
himself from 2004-2006, Alaq described the IG's as not only the
front line but the driving force behind Iraq's anti-corruption
regime. He said that by his interpretation of the law, the IG's are
responsible for initiating anti-corruption investigations. Even if
the COI possesses incriminating information, Alaq said, it is the
COI's responsibility to pass this information to the IG's for
follow-up.
3. (U) Reiterating from previous meetings a request for USG
assistance, Alaq stressed the need for a comprehensive assessment of
Iraq's anti-corruption needs as well as the challenges in
maintaining staffing within the IG's. He said that he had
recommended each IG to provide an assessment of what types of
corruption was most prevalent in each respective ministry, but that
his request was currently hung up in the Council of Ministers. Alaq
added that staffing of the IG's had been difficult, with many
positions left vacant, but that he had received Prime Minister
Maliki's support to bolster IG staffing.
CLAIMS BETTER COORDINATION WITH COI
-----------------------------------
4. (U) In response to a question of reported clashes between IG's
and the COI, Alaq highlighted improved coordination between these
two agencies. Alaq attributed the improved cooperation to the new
leadership of COI under Rahim al-Ugaili, whom he repeatedly praised
as "very good" and having a strong vision for the future of the COI.
Nonetheless, he conceded that a large backlog of cases remained at
the commission.
STILL WAITING FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT
--------------------------------------------- -
5. (U) Alaq told the team, and reiterated to ACC Ambassador Benedict
in a separate meeting June 26, that his office was continuing to
finalize an updated assessment of the 18-point anti-corruption
program, as initially outlined by DPM Salih at Iraq's
anti-corruption conference in January. Post will follow up with
Alaq's office next week for the updated assessment. Alaq had no
further information regarding the passage of the three laws (55, 57,
and 77) that would formalize the relationship between Iraq's primary
anti-corruption agencies (the COI, IG's, and Board of Supreme Audit)
but said he understood that the law had had its first reading before
the COR.
COMMENT
-------
6. (SBU) Alaq's interpretation that IG's must direct all
anti-corruption investigations and that the COI has no authority to
lead investigations on its own is not consistent with Iraqi law or
COI practices. The COI, under both current law and the laws
currently pending before the COR, does in fact have the authority to
initiate and conduct anti-corruption investigations. Alaq's
effusive praise of COI Commissioner Rahim throughout the meeting
therefore comes as something of a surprise following Rahim's
reported rejection of a similar order by Alaq's deputy last year
that said the COI had no power to drive investigations. Such an
interpretation has troubling implications for executive interference
with anti-corruption investigations, since IG's can be fired at will
by their respective ministers according to current Iraqi law. The
new laws pending before the COR are expected to remove this
ministerial prerogative, elevating this firing authority to the
Prime Minister's office.
CROCKER
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