Former Iraqi minister arrested for corruption

[Robbien]

Iraq’s former electricity minister, a member of the transitional government set up after the 2003 US-led invasion, was arrested today on corruption charges after he surrendered, an official said.

Ayham al-Samarie, a dual Iraq-US citizen and Sunni Arab political figure, is one of the five ministers in the former government against whom arrest warrants were issued for massive corruption. The others – the ministers of labour, defence, transportation and housing – remain at large.

Al-Samarie gave himself up at the Central Criminal Court, said Judge Radhi al-Radhi, chief of the Public Integrity Commission. He said al-Samarie was put under arrest and taken to a jail where he will remain until a trial starts. No date for the trial has been set.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/08/22/story273387.html

[gratuitous]

1. So it was all Al-Samarie's fault

Now things will be all better in Iraq. We got the corrupt guy who was fucking it up for all the rest of us.

[acmavm]

3. If those five are responsible for all the missing cash in Iraq

I certainly would have thought that they would have been able to get away.

[w4rma]

2. Knowing the Republicans, he was probably the least corrupt person

in that government. Heck, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to uncover corruption.