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2009 Press Releases

International anti-corruption day, 2009

December 8, 2009

On the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day (December 9, 2009), the U.S. Embassy welcomes the

measured progress made by Iraqi authorities to strengthen anti-corruption institutions and raise awareness of

anti-corruption programs among Iraq's citizens.

While corruption remains a serious challenge in Iraq, we welcome the steps taken by the different government

agencies to crack down on this problem. We will continue to support these efforts in order to strengthen

accountability and democracy in Iraq, said U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Philip Frayne.

Iraq's core anti-corruption institutions the Commission of Integrity (COI), the Board of Supreme Audit, and the

Inspectors General at each government ministry work together with public officials, the police, and the

judiciary to bring greater accountability and transparency to public sector operations. This year Iraq carried out

an anti-bribery campaign and increased awareness of its public hotline that led to a significant boost in casesreported to the enforcement authorities. The COI made strides in exposing unqualified public sector employees

and in securing financial disclosure statements from key public officials steps that will significantly boost public

faith in the government.

The Board of Supreme Audit, Iraq's oldest anti-corruption institution, has conducted over 3000 external audits

and consultations this year; and Inspectors General are providing critical internal audit functions in each

ministry. Judges and journalists are exercising new capacities and freedoms, often in the face of real threats to

their safety, to hold officials accountable in the courts and in Iraq's media. Iraq's Council of Representatives is

exercising oversight through hearings of government ministers, while the KRG parliament has recently

appointed an integrity committee that is expected to play a similar oversight role in the Kurdistan region.

The COI also increased the number of cases it processed and sent to investigative judges for further processing,

from just over 300 last year to almost 1000 cases expected by year's end. This is a significant boost in capacity

and bodes well for Iraq's further advances in the fight against corruption.

The United States has assisted the COI, as Iraq's lead enforcement body on corruption, with training and

equipment and a program through the UN Development Program to assist with the development of a national

anti-corruption strategy.

The U.S. pledges its support for these efforts, and hopes to see further progress in 2010 with the anticipated

release of a new national anti-corruption strategy. We look forward to working with Iraq's leaders to build on

the progress made thus far.

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rnational anti-corruption day, 2009 http://iraq.usembassy.gov/pr_12082009a.htm

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