Officials asked to declare assets

 

By Amal Saqer

 

Azzaman, 2004-11-07

 

Iraqi officials, starting with the President of the Republic, will have to declare their assets to a new transparency commission set up to fight graft and corruption.

 

“Starting from January 2005, all Iraqi officials including the president will have to publicly declare their assets and account for them,” said the commission’s head Radhi Daraji.

 

“My commission has set the principle that no one is above the law as its prime target, therefore everyone will be held accountable in the light of outstanding laws and regulations,” he said.

 

He said the commission is preparing special forms which officials will have to fill in.

 

In the new forms, he said, officials will have to declare their belongings, including real estate, assets, shares, inheritance, presents and cash.

 

He said the commission will examine any discrepancies between what the officials declare in these forms and what “our own investigators find out.”

 

Daraji said officials will be questioned about “any additions to wealth” that will take place while serving their term of office.

 

A new law empowers the commission to punish civil servants of all ranks if found amassing wealth illegally or not performing their duties properly.