The fire, which broke out Monday morning in the Central Bank of Iraq, as well as in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, was deliberately started by people who wish to destroy reports on corruption, members of the Iraqi parliament told reporters, according to the Iraqi daily A-Zaman.
"The fire… was aimed at important reports and documents implicating people involved in financial corruption in both these institutes," read an announcement delivered by MP Nour A-Din Al-Hiyali.
The announcement called on the government to form committees of inquiry to discover who was behind the arson. It warned that if the government dragged its feet over the investigation, it would encourage other ministries accused of financial corruption to do the same.
Transparency International considers Iraq the world’s most corrupt nation, according to A-Zaman.
On October 4, the Head of the Commission of Public Integrity (CPI), Justice (ret.) Radhi Hamza A-Radhi testified before a U.S. Congressional hearing on the state of Iraqi corruption. A-Radhi was chosen in 2004 by the then administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer, as the CPI Commissioner.
According to A-Radhi’s testimony, "Prime Minister [Nouri Al-Maliki] and his government have refused to recognize the independence of the Commission of Public Integrity."
A-Radhi blamed the government for forbidding his commission to take any action against the presidency, council of ministers, and former and current ministers. He said the government and Al-Maliki himself had closed many corruption cases, worth an estimated one hundred billion Iraqi dinars ($81 million).
"The executive branch often protected corrupt employees and actively attempted to eradicate or control the commission… the judiciary branch succumbed to pressure and did not adjudicate corruption cases," A-Radhi added.
The cost of corruption so far uncovered by the commission across all Iraqi ministries is estimated as high as $18 billion.