29 officials including six ministers convicted since fall of Saddam

Some 29 senior officials, including six ministers, have been convicted on a range of charges since the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, the Iraqi Judiciary Authority revealed yesterday.

Judge Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar, spokesperson for the judiciary, said: “The Iraqi courts are currently investigating 24 officials, including ministers and members of parliament and local councils, on a number of charges.”

“Arrest warrants have been issues against some defendants, while others have been referred to court… we cannot publish the names of the accused in order to preserve the confidentiality of the investigation and in accordance with the principle that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty.”

Bayrakdar also affirmed that “the courts have convicted 29 officials over the past 12 years.”

The disclosure of these figures comes in conjunction with a government plan to fight corruption following weeks of pressure from leading political figures and the Iraqi population who took to the streets to protest against corruption.

Iraq is among the most corrupt countries in the world according to Transparency International index.