Iraqi officials from US appointed gov sought for crimes
Iraq has issued arrest warrants against the defense minister and 27 other officials from the U.S.-backed government of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi over the alleged disappearance or misappropriation of $1 billion in military procurement funds, officials said Monday.
Those accused include four other ministers from Allawi's government, which was replaced by an elected Cabinet led by Shiite parties in April, said Ali al-Lami of Iraq's Integrity Commission. Many of the officials are believed to have left Iraq, including Hazem Shaalan, the former defense minister who moved to Jordan shortly after the new government was installed.
Lots of warrants, but it will be a hard prosecution. The US isn't going to be happy to have that many people it appointed charged with crimes. Particularly since any serious investigation is going to implicate quite a few Americans and American companies.
It's interesting to watch how the US is slowly loosing control of the Iraqi parliment. The parliment has a eye on their own survival after the US pulls out and their own goals for the future of Iraq.
Jay