The story: A firestorm of tit-for-tat allegations has erupted after claims of widespread corruption in Iraq’s judiciary by the head of the country’s Federal Commission of Integrity. Haidar Hanoun’s claims include the accusation that a top judge engaged in malpractice when handling a multi-billion dollar embezzlement case. In a twist, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council has opened multiple investigations into the integrity commission head, including charges that Hanoun’s statements aim to mislead the public. 

The coverage: The controversy stems from a Sept. 14 press conference held by Hanoun in Erbil, in which he decried the “weakening of the integrity commission” to allegedly hide corruption.