Former Iraqi minister arrested for corruption

Iraq’s former electricity minister, a member of the transitional government set up after the 2003 US-led invasion, was arrested today on corruption charges after he surrendered, an official said.

Ayham al-Samarie, a dual Iraq-US citizen and Sunni Arab political figure, is one of the five ministers in the former government against whom arrest warrants were issued for massive corruption. The others – the ministers of labour, defence, transportation and housing – remain at large.

Al-Samarie gave himself up at the Central Criminal Court, said Judge Radhi al-Radhi, chief of the Public Integrity Commission. He said al-Samarie was put under arrest and taken to a jail where he will remain until a trial starts. No date for the trial has been set.