2 Accused of Embezzling Iraqi Funds

Iraqi authorities issued arrest warrants for a Sunni Arab member of parliament and his son, accusing them of embezzling millions of dollars meant to protect oil pipelines, the head of a government watchdog agency said Sunday.

Mishaan Juburi and his son, Yazin, allegedly pocketed money earmarked for creating a paramilitary force to protect oil pipelines in the north against insurgent attacks, said Judge Radhi Radhi, chairman of the Commission on Public Integrity.

Officials said the father and son may have fled the country. Radhi said Iraqi authorities have asked Interpol for help in tracking them down.

Radhi said the two were accused of collecting government funds after providing lists of fictional recruits and submitting bills for their expenses. He declined to give an exact figure.

“Each time pipelines in the area were attacked, they asked to recruit more guards as well as salary increases for the recruits,” Radhi said. “It had become apparent that attacks were increasing rather than decreasing.”

Insurgent attacks against Iraq’s oil industry, the country’s lifeline, have been frequent since 2003, crippling reconstruction efforts and stoking popular discontent.

Besides the loss in revenue from oil exports, the disruption reduces the flow of fuel to electric power stations, causing lengthy outages.

The elder Juburi was elected in January 2005 and again Dec. 15. He was a candidate for parliament speaker last year but his nomination was vetoed by Shiite lawmakers, who argued that he had close links to Saddam Hussein’s now-outlawed Baath Party.