Ex-Iraq trade minister arrested in
mid-flight drama

Former Iraqi trade minister
Abdel Falah al-Sudani was arrested on
Sat urday after his plane was
dramatically ordered back to Bagdhad as
he tried to flee the country in the
wake of a graft scandal.
Sudani was on board a flight to Dubai, which authorities turned back
to the capital so that he could be arrested, said Sabah al-Saedi,
head of parliament's corruption and integrity commission.
"The minister was trying to escape from justice and was headed to
the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," said Saedi.
"After some phone calls were made to judicial authorities and the
airport, the airplane was turned back and the minister arrested," he
said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office announced that
Sudani had resigned amid allegations of corruption and embezzlement
linked to the nation's food assistance programme.
"An arrest warrant was issued against the minister under the charge
of corruption," said Saedi. "He is the main person responsible for
corruption in the ministry."
A commission official later told state television that on Sunday
"procedures would be taken according to the law" against Sudani.
The trade ministry operates a nearly six-billion dollar annual
budget that provides a monthly public food distribution programme
for Iraqis. It also manages the import of grain, seeds and
construction materials.
A security official told AFP Sudani was on Jupiter Airlines PHW604
over the southern Iraqi city of Basra when Saturday's drama
unfolded.
"At 1 pm the minister took the plane going to Dubai but
representatives from the commission arrived at the airport with
police shortly after," said the official on condition of anonymity.
"They contacted the plane and forced it to turn back. When it landed
security personnel arrested the minister."
Sudani, a member of Maliki's Shiite Dawa faction, had already been
questioned by parliament over claims relating to imports for the
food rationing programme.
Maliki vowed to root out graft in the government, after Sudani, who
was accused of importing expired commodities, mainly sugar;
procuring illegal contracts and failing to fight corruption in his
ministry, quit.
"We will institute reforms ... and we will search for the truth,"
Maliki told reporters on Wednesday after talks with senior trade
ministry officials.
"We will not stand with arms folded in the face of corruption. We
will pursue those who are corrupt and bring them before the courts,"
Maliki said, while placing the ministry under his authority.
Maliki stressed on Wednesday he was immediately instituting measures
to fight graft in Iraq.
"We will recruit new executives to replace those who are not
qualified and we urge those in charge of purchases to sign contracts
with large global companies directly rather than through
intermediaries," he said.
The Commission on Public Integrity, tasked with fighting corruption
in Iraq, announced on Wednesday that 997 officials are being
investigated for alleged graft, including 53 people ranked as
directors general or higher.
It said 120 Iraqis were arrested for corruption in April and May.
Watchdog group Transparency International ranked Iraq in 2008 as the
world's third-most corrupt country behind Somalia and Myanmar.
Iraq's food rationing system was established in 1995 as part of the
United Nations oil-for-food programme following Iraq's invasion of
Kuwait in 1990.
The public distribution programme has been plagued by mismanagement
and corruption since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Source: AFP
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