Saja Bassem, an economic researcher and feminist activist in Babylon, told Al-Monitor what is actually accomplished by such corruption, stating, “This rampant corruption resulted in the emergence of wealthy people in the community. Up until a couple of years ago, they had little money.”
Ali Alobodi, a journalist and director of media relations for the Najaf government, established a link between “contracting corruption in Iraq and the partisan and sectarian quota system.” He told Al-Monitor, “Parties are covering up the corruption of each other, which leads to a loss of money into the pockets of the corrupt, because of the lack of real tenders or clear agreements. This, in turn, doubles the real cost of projects.”
Corrupt contracting practices in Iraq are only one part of a broader culture of corruption that no one has been able to change, despite government efforts enlisting international assistance, such as the Boen International Group and media and popular calls to end to it. The difficulty appears to lie in the persistence of political parties, officials and contractors reaping the benefits.
(Corruption image via Shutterstock)
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