Abadi links killing of PMF’s finance director to corruption within militia group

Hashd al-Shaabi's finance director had suggested cutting the salaries of ghost employees to increase the wages of active fighters.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday vowed to fight corruption and avenge the death of Hashd al-Shaabi’s Finance Director Qassim al-Zubaidi who died in hospital from injuries sustained following a failed assassination attempt.

Abadi made the comments at an elections campaign rally for the al-Nasr (Victory) Coalition of which he heads. He said he would make those who were responsible pay for the killing of the Iranian-backed Shia-dominated militia’s finance director.

During his speech, Abadi linked the killing of Zubaidi to corruption within the militia group.

“I assigned the Ministry of Finance and the Hashd al-Shaabi, including its finance director, to make reforms in the ranks of the Hashd al-Shaabi fighters and then increase their salaries based on the reform,” he explained.

Abadi recalled Zubaidi’s suggestion that those within the Hashd al-Shaabi who were receiving salaries without actively performing any services should be excluded from the payroll so the salaries of real fighters could be raised.

The Iraqi Prime Minister said his administration had introduced a plan to remove ghost employees from the militia group’s payroll to prevent the government’s funds from going to corrupt people.

“If we increase the salaries of Hashd al-Shaabi fighters without a proper reform plan, corrupt people will end up getting more money,” he added.

“Crooked people are stealing the money of [Hashd al-Shaabi] fighters unjustly,” Abadi said.

According to the Iraqi Prime Minister, some leaders within the ranks of the Hashd al-Shaabi were against auditing fighters and their salaries because other influential people, who he did not name, were taking a portion of the wages for themselves.

“The corrupt people think [killing Zubaidi] will intimidate us,” Abadi stated, vowing to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable for the crime.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany