Iraqi transport minister arrested for taking bribe

Iraqi transport minister arrested for taking bribe    Iraqi police have arrested the country's deputy transport minister after he was allegedly filmed taking a bribe in a sting operation, the Associated Press reported last week.
   Sabah al-Saedi, chairman of parliament’s anti-corruption committee, said police filmed Adnan al-Obeidi accepting a $100,000 bribe from a company doing work at the Baghdad airport.
   'al-Obeidi is accused of attempting to extort money from the company, which was trying to collect $2 million it was owed by the Transportation Ministry,' the news agency's report said, according to comments from al-Saedi. 'He was then filmed receiving a $100,000 down payment on the $500,000 bribe he had demanded to get the company its money and renew the contract. The company, which was not identified, worked with the government anti-government commission to set up the sting.'
   More than 1,000 arrest warrants have been issued this year against officials suspected of corruption, including 52 in senior posts, AP reported. In May, Iraq’s former trade minister, Abdul-Falah al-Sudani, was arrested on charges of importing expired foods, engaging in illegal contracts and employing relatives.