Iraq shows relative improvement in the international corruption index… and calls to deny convicts “general amnesty”.
Iraq shows relative improvement in the international corruption index… and calls to deny convicts “general amnesty”.
2026-07-15
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq confirmed on Wednesday that the country has made gradual progress in the Corruption Perceptions Index issued by Transparency International, indicating that Iraq has risen to 136th place globally and seventh place in the Arab world for the year 2025.
The center stated in a report received by Shafaq News Agency that “Iraq moved from obtaining 26 points and occupying the 140th position globally out of 180 countries during 2024, to achieving 28 points and ranking 136th globally during 2025, which reflects a relative improvement in efforts to combat corruption and promote integrity in state institutions.”
The report noted that “this progress coincides with the escalation of governmental, judicial and oversight efforts in pursuing major corruption cases, the increase in sentences issued against those involved, as well as the decline in the number of trials in absentia and cases returned for investigation, reflecting the development of the efficiency of judicial and oversight performance and the protection of public funds.”
While the center praised the joint measures taken by the government, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Integrity Commission, and the Financial Control Bureau, it stressed that continuing these efforts during the current year 2026 will enhance citizens’ confidence in public institutions and improve the investment and economic development environment in the country.
In the context of legislative demands, the Strategic Center called on the three authorities and the Integrity Commission to “continue structural reforms, expand the definition of corruption crimes to include influence peddling, bribery in the private sector, and illicit enrichment, while accelerating the recovery of smuggled funds and protecting whistleblowers and witnesses.”
The center stressed at the end of its statement “the need to exclude those convicted of financial and administrative corruption cases from any general amnesty laws, and to publish the names of those convicted by final judicial rulings to enhance general deterrence and prevent impunity.”
shafaq.com
