Through his spokesman, Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric calls for anti-corruption campaign to start with improvements to the judiciary. SHOWS: KARBALA, IRAQ (AUGUST 14, 2015) (KARBALA TV - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ATTENDING FRIDAY PRAYER AT IMAM HUSSEIN SHRINE 2. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SPOKESMAN OF GRAND AYATOLLAH ALI AL-SISTANI, SHEIKH ABDUL MAHDI AL-KARBALAI, SAYING: (CONTINUES OVER SHOT OF CONGREGATION) "The main requirement of the reform process is to amend the judiciary system. It is not possible to achieve true reform without it. Even if corruption has spread to the judiciary, there is no small number of honest judges whose hands have not been tainted and will not hesitate to achieve justice." 3. AL-KARBALAI GIVING SERMON 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SPOKESMAN OF GRAND AYATOLLAH ALI AL-SISTANI, SHEIKH ABDUL MAHDI AL-KARBALAI, SAYING: (STARTS OVER SHOT OF CONGREGATION) "It is unacceptable that some major officials make tens of millions in salary every month, while many employees do not make more than three hundred thousand dinars (US261.32 dollars). We hope the government, the parliament and the judiciary council do the required reforms without procrastination or delay and they have to know that our honourable people are monitoring their work and performance and will have its stand from those who want to delay or procrastinate." 5. SHI'ITE FAITHFUL ATTENDING FRIDAY PRAYER STORY: Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on parliament and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Friday (August 14) to focus their anti-corruption campaign first on improving the judiciary. Parliament unanimously approved a sweeping reform plan this week proposed by Abadi in the biggest shake-up in the country's governing system since the 2003-2011 U.S. military occupation. Abadi has sought to transform a system which critics said has encouraged graft and incompetence, depriving Iraqis of basic services while undermining government forces in the battle against Islamic State insurgents. The initiative, announced after Sistani pushed Abadi to "strike with an iron fist" against corruption, eliminates entire layers of government, scraps sectarian and party quotas for state positions, reopens corruption investigations and gives the premier the power to fire regional and provincial bosses. Sistani, whose comments were made public through his spokesman during a Friday sermon, called judicial reform one of the most important aspects of the process. "The main requirement of the reform process is to amend the judiciary system. It is not possible to achieve true reform without it. Even if corruption has spread to the judiciary, there is no small number of honest judges whose hands have not been tainted and will not hesitate to achieve justice," his spokesman, Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, said in the sermon in Karbala. Part of Abadi's campaign calls for a committee of judges known for their integrity to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials who he has accused of plotting sabotage to preserve their privileges. The governing system set up under the U.S. occupation included numerous overlapping senior posts, many set aside to be divvied up on ethnic and sectarian grounds among Iraq's majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Muslims and Sunni Muslims. That was intended to reduce strife by keeping the government inclusive. But Abadi, a Shi'ite, complained it encouraged ethno-sectarian party patronage, spawning corruption and incompetence so pervasive it made Iraq nearly impossible to govern. Critics have accused Abadi of trying to consolidate too much power in his own hands, which he denies. Sistani also called for reforming the security services following a massive bombing in a Shi'ite district of Baghdad on Thursday (August 13) claimed by Islamic State, and for reducing inequality in the salaries of public employees. "It is unacceptable that some major officials make tens of millions in salary every month, while many employees do not make more than three hundred thousand dinars (US261.32 dollars). We hope the government, the parliament and the judiciary council do the required reforms without procrastination or delay and they have to know that our honourable people are monitoring their work and performance and will have its stand from those who want to delay or procrastinate," Karbalai said.

• published: 15 Aug 2015
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