On June 17, 2021, I had the privilege of joining officials and experts to discuss politically-sanctioned corruption in Iraq, on a panel hosted by Chatham House.
The full discussion can be watched here.
corruption
Investigating corruption between lockdowns & explosions | Marie Colvin Journalist Network
[Published here June 1, 2021]
“Money makes the world go round” is a well-known saying. In Iraq, however, it is “dirty money”. Even after more than a year living in Baghdad, I still got surprised by how much of public life in the war-weary country relied on the circulation of illicit funds – and how formalised this corruption had become.
Continue reading‘Worse than a jungle’: the cartel controlling Iraqi borders | AFP
[Published here March 29, 2021]
Along Iraq’s borders, a corrupt customs-evasion cartel is diverting billions of dollars away from state coffers to line the pockets of armed groups, political parties and crooked officials.
The prime beneficiaries are Iran-linked Shiite paramilitaries that intimidate federal officials who dare obstruct them, sometimes through chillingly specific death threats, a six-month AFP investigation has found.
Continue reading‘Pyramid’ of corruption pushes Iraq family to emigrate | AFP
[Published here March 29, 2021]
Hassanein Mohsen spent months protesting against corruption in Iraq. He also lodged complaints against officials. But now he is shunned as a whistleblower and sees only one way out: emigration.
Continue reading‘I don’t have money!’: Iraq’s graft-busting budget baroness | AFP
[Published here March 29, 2021]
Suitcases of spreadsheets are wheeled into her office, as infuriated MPs storm out. Her unmistakeable voice booms down the finance ministry hallways.
Meet Taif al-Sami, Iraq’s budget baroness.
Continue readingWithout urgent reform, Iraq economy will face irreparable shocks: minister to AFP
[Published here on June 22, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraq’s economy could reach irreversible lows within the next year unless urgent reform measures are adopted, its finance minister warned in an exclusive interview with AFP on Monday.
Dekkenet al-Balad opens in Gemmayze | NOW News
[Published here May 15, 2014]
Driving licenses, university diplomas, and votes: everything’s for sale, even your rights. Such is the motto of Dekkenet al-Balad, which translates to “Country Store,” the newly opened storefront on Beirut’s Gemmayze Street. Neatly stacked throughout the small shop are buckets full of forged Lebanese ID cards, binders labeled “List of government positions for Maronites only,” and stacks of counterfeit Lebanese government paperwork. A young employee hurriedly sifts through a cardboard box to find a customer precisely the document she needs – for a fee, of course.
MAYA GEBEILY 