Personnel Risk:
Critical
Score:
7/100
Leadership Behaviour
Q34
17/100
Do the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister, Chiefs of Defence, and Single Service Chiefs publicly commit, through, for example, speeches, media interviews, or political mandates, to anti-corruption and integrity measures?
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Public endorsements of the fight against corruption, as declared by Al Abadi, are widely heard throughout the ministerial spectrum. There is no evidence; however,…
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Officials regularly appear on local television platforms, ministerial addresses and ceremonies to discuss or expose corruption in an attempt, often, as a former army…
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Across Iraqi state media, few unit commanders and leaders appear on TV with public comments. In cases where they do appear, victories against ISG…
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Q35
13/100
Are there effective measures in place for personnel found to have taken part in forms of bribery and corruption, and is there evidence that these measures are being carried out?
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Laws that explicitly condemn acts or engagements in bribery fall under the rubric of Iraq’s Civil Penal Code. More specifically, Iraq’s newest Military Penal…
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Iraq’s antiquated anti-bribery laws (1), (2) are widely critiqued within media and policy circles for their selective application and enforcement. Iraq’s leading anti-corruption watchdog…
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Q36
0/100
Is whistleblowing encouraged by the government, and are whistle-blowers in military and defence ministries afforded adequate protection from reprisal for reporting evidence of corruption, in both law and practice?
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According to our sources, there is no legal framework that encourages whistleblowing in the military and defence sector. There is a general anti-corruption law…
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There is little evidence of restored faith among various state ministers and officials that encourages whistleblower to step forward with sensitive intel. There have…
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Across the uniformed services, tailored-legislation or policies designed to protect whistleblowers are not in existence. As a former whistleblower told TI in an interview…
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Q37
0/100
Is special attention paid to the selection, time in post, and oversight of personnel in sensitive positions, including officials and personnel in defence procurement, contracting, financial management, and commercial management?
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A report by the Baghdad-based Bayan Centre (1) offers in-depth commentary into the lackadaisical application of military laws. It raises the need “for parliament…
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As noted in 37A, there is no recognition that certain positions may be more open to corruption than others. In this regard, this indicator…
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As noted in 37A, there is no recognition that certain positions may be more open to corruption than others. In this regard, this indicator…
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Payroll, Promotions, Appointments, Rewards
Q38
0/100
Is the number of civilian and military personnel accurately known and publicly available?
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The total number of civilian and army personnel is not readily available, owing to the absence of official records. Iraq post-2003 has not shown…
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There are no official statistics that give the true figures of he MoD personnel.
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While Abadi intensified Security Sector Reforms in response to the ‘ghost soldier’ scandal in which 50 thousand named MoD employees were found not to…
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Q39
13/100
Are pay rates and allowances for civilian and military personnel openly published?
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No single database presents an accurate break down of the payments granted to Iraq’s security actors/employees. Scant references of the wages army recruits receive…
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Allowances are not referred to in any of the available sources or official government websites. The only reference made to allowances emerges in articles…
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Q40
17/100
Do personnel receive the correct pay on time, and is the system of payment well-established, routine, and published?
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Iraq’s stagnant economy has impacted Iraq’s salary payment system adversely, with local news outlets reporting regular delays and salary disputes, across various sectors; education…
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The PMF adhere to its own payment structure, paying wages to its fighters only, and as various sources have stated, this could be subject…
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The system of payment concerning defence personnel is not publicly available. However, funds that enable defence activities are allocated in the Federal Budget, annually…
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Q41
8/100
Is there an established, independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level?
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There is evidence of a formal appointment system for the selection of military personnel. A detailed online search uncovered different systems that apply to…
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An informed source expressed in an interview with TI that sectarian apportionment muddles checks and balances as far as appointments are concerned. In his…
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Up to date information on Iraq’s appointment process is lacking while laws from previous years are available, as discussed in 41A. What is not…
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Q42
0/100
Are personnel promoted through an objective, meritocratic process? Such a process would include promotion boards outside of the command chain, strong formal appraisal processes, and independent oversight.
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Processes underpinning personnel promotion over the past ten years are marked by political and informal biases. This is particularly noticeable through the rise of…
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The sale of government positions is mirrored, but this increasingly used practice is not an exception prescribed in any national Iraqi laws (1), (2).…
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Accessible information on job promotions across Iraq’s military establishment is scattered. The Penal Code No. 19 discusses limited promotion opportunities for those found guilty…
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No information is available on postings and the promotion cycle.
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Conscription and Recruitment
Q43
NA/100
Where compulsory conscription occurs, is there a policy of not accepting bribes for avoiding conscription? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?
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In March 2016, Iraq’s MoD proposed a draft compulsory conscription law, which, as stipulated within local press coverage, was submitted to the House of…
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There is currently no compulsory conscription service in Iraq.
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There is currently no compulsory conscription service in Iraq.
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Q44
0/100
is there a policy of refusing bribes to gain preferred postings? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?
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Iraq’s military penal code contains provisions that prohibit personnel from giving or receiving bribes. Law 19 of the year 2007, discusses the application of…
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Iraq’s Military Penal Code catalogues ‘high’ and ‘low’ level sanctions determined by the crime/act in question (1). It refers to crimes of treason which…
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Given that it is unclear that there are sanctions in place for the offence of using briberty to gain preferred postings, this indicator has…
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Salary Chain
Chains of payment are vulnerable to manipulation in the absence of formal oversight and transparency. The prevalence of ghost soldiers in the recent past…
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Values and Standards
Q46
6/100
Is there a Code of Conduct for all military personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?
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A military-specific code of conduct for the year 2018 was published by the Integrity Commission, “The Code of Conduct for the Military and Internal…
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Iraq’s Code of Conduct for military personnel (1) is available for public viewing on the Integrity Commissions website, but little evidence exists to imply…
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A retired military officer (1) told Transparency International that the unrestricted growth of paramilitaries has undermined the enforceability of the code’s provisions; “exacerbated” the…
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There is no evidence that training is provided to military personnel on the code of conduct.
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Q47
19/100
Is there a Code of Conduct for all civilian personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?
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Online evidence reveals the existence of a Code of Conduct (2005) it was amended in 2006 (1). It sets out a series of instructions…
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The Code of Conduct is available online (1).
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Citing “the absence of any implementing structure”, and the “malfeasance in office” and “central agency responsible for punishing breaches of the code” (1), the…
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There is no evidence that training is provided to civilian personnel on the code of conduct.
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Q48
0/100
Does regular anti-corruption training take place for military and civilian personnel?
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As part of its UNCAC commitments and commitments to foreign donors, various training programmes are held routinely, geared largely towards military performance rather than…
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Given that there is no anti-corruption training for defence personnel, this has been marked not applicable.
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Given that there is no anti-corruption training for defence personnel, this has been marked not applicable.
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Q49
0/100
Is there a policy to make public outcomes of the prosecution of defence services personnel for corrupt activities, and is there evidence of effective prosecutions in recent years?
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A judicial source confirmed in an interview with TI (1) that military courts, rulings and off-stage hearings favour a policy of non-disclosure, as the…
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In an interview with TI, one source (1) identified what he describes as a “rising trend in which investigations are promised, but results a[re]…
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A report published by HRW (July 2018) underscores the failure of Iraq’s judicial institutions to “investigate [and] punish Security Forces implicated in abuse” of…
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Q50
25/100
Are there effective measures in place to discourage facilitation payments (which are illegal in almost all countries)?
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As Transparency International’s 2015 findings (1) disclose, existing provisions with Iraq’s Penal Code of 1969, is the closest Iraq comes to an anti-facilitation payment…
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While provisions of the Civil Penal Code (1), on paper, criminalise engagement in bribery and encourage culprits to come forward in exchange of court…
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Facilitation payments, otherwise known as grease payments, are not permissible as the rule of law dictates; however, according to an Iraqi political advisor that…
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