Ex-Iraq official slams leaders over graft

Iraq's former anti-corruption chief slammed its leaders Monday, describing graft as "part of the struggle for power" in what international monitors say is one of the world's most corrupt countries. Rahim Hassan al-Uqailee, who stepped down from his post as head of the Commission on Integrity last week, sharply criticised interference in his inquiries, and said he had lost political support for his anti-corruption efforts since the beginning of the year. "The fight over stealing the money of the state and its property is the unspoken part of the struggle for power in Iraq today," Uqailee said in an open letter to the Iraqi parliament's anti-graft committee. The letter was copied to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies. Uqailee, who resigned on Thursday over political interference, said while Iraq's leaders claimed to be aware of the size of the corruption problem, they had instead recently complained over monitoring and legal restrictions. He said they were "trying hard to resist the tools and mechanisms of accountability and transparency," and added: "I strongly rejected being a partner in this." Uqailee said he had been unable to maintain the political backing he had received before this year, claiming "no committee fighting corruption can work actively and efficiently without sufficient political support." The 44-year-old has headed the anti-corruption watchdog since January 2008. In February, he accused ministers of trying to sweep corruption under the rug instead of fighting it, saying a lot of dirty money was going to fund insurgents. Corruption watchdog Transparency International ranks Iraq among the world's four most corrupt countries.