Integrity chief urges public to keep reporting corruption

BAGHDAD — The head of the Federal Commission of Integrity called for continued public and media support for the anti-corruption campaign, saying reporting by citizens had contributed to recent operations and that the commission would not stop under pressure.

“We firmly believe, beyond doubt, that the popular will is the real backbone on which anti-corruption efforts rely and from which they derive their legitimacy and impact,” Mohammed Ali al-Lami said. Enforcement could not rest on judicial procedure and oversight bodies alone, he said, and public involvement had already produced results: “Conscious and courageous reporting of areas of dysfunction and corrupt individuals, and direct and field support for integrity officials, the judiciary and executive agencies, had the greatest impact in achieving tangible results.”

He addressed suggestions that the campaign was aimed at particular groups. “Our work does not involve any targeting of an entity, party or name. Our direct and sole target is corruption and the corrupt wherever they are and regardless of their affiliation,” he said. The commission would proceed “with unwavering determination” despite obstacles or pressure from any source.

Lami compared the effort to the fight against the Islamic State group, saying public backing for state institutions and adherence to guidance from the religious authority had contributed to that outcome. He called on media organisations to expose corruption while cautioning against describing state institutions as broadly corrupt, saying they had an “ethical and historical responsibility.”