Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Thursday that inflated project costs are a major source of corruption, as his government moves to tighten scrutiny of state contracts.

During a meeting with Parliamentary Integrity Committee Chairman Taha Hatif Al-Difai, and committee members, al-Zaidi described corruption as Iraq’s most serious challenge and called for closer cooperation between the executive and legislature in pursuing suspected cases.

He said the government was applying audits both before and after contracts are awarded to curb inflated pricing, reduce waste and protect public funds.

The parliamentary committee called for reviews of previous government contracts suspected of corruption or excessive costs and urged state institutions to respond more quickly to requests for documents and information related to priority investigations. Committee members also backed passage of legislation establishing an Internal Oversight Authority, which has received its first reading in parliament.

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