April 17,
2008: Several dozen Iraqi government
officials have been caught making a corrupt $833 million deal, with Serbia, for
weapons and military equipment. The deal was done last Fall, about the time
rumors started coming out of Serbia about sales to Iraq. But the Iraqi
government denied it. Earlier this year, Iraqi complaints about the deal grew
louder, as well as anger over the abolition of the Supreme Economic Committee,
which was supposed to examine and approve any government contract for more than
$50 million.
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The Serb
deal reeks of corruption, and is expected to show, if examined closely, large
amounts of cash paid in "commissions" to Iraqi government officials. Iraqi
generals are also distrustful of the Serb ability to deliver quality gear, and
provide warranty support. The Serbs did
some deals with Saddam, and that rubs many Iraqi generals (who are Shia, and
lost kin to Saddams thugs) the wrong way. The U.S. preferred that Iraq bought
military equipment from nations (like the United States) that had
anti-corruption rules in force. That did not go over with many Iraqi
politicians, who see taking a percentage of government percentages as a
deserved fringe benefit. Corruption is widespread in Iraq, despite efforts by
the U.S., and many Iraqis, to curb these practices.
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