In October 2019, the Iraqi parliament voted to dissolve the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) under Law No. 24/2019 . The move followed claim   by some lawmakers that its establishment was unconstitutional. The argument was that an inspector general has the rank of a deputy minister, and that the appointment of such a position therefore requires parliament’s blessing.

President Barham Saleh ratified the parliament’s law citing “administrative acrimony, prevention of double-standards, acceleration of countering corruption and the futility of the OIG’s bureaus.” As a result, all of the OIG’s documents and assets were transferred to the Federal Commission of Integrity, which was tasked with processing them while taking necessary legal measures.

What made the OIG stand out?

The OIG was an oversight institution with ties to the minister in every ministry—and with a mandate to make all state bodies more transparent and accountable. It was effectively intended...