Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is quoted as saying corruption is "as dangerous a threat" to his country's national stability as terrorism.
According to a report to the U.S. Congress by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Maliki said in October that corruption is widespread within the Iraqi government.
The U.S. inspector general says part of the problem stems from the inadequacy of the Iraqi legal framework that was set up after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and pressure and threats against Iraqi officials charged with fighting corruption.
Globally, Iraq is considered one of the countries least able to control corruption, ranking 175th out of 182 countries in anticorruption watchdog Transparency International's
Corruption Perception Index in 2011.
compiled from agency reports