Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has accepted the resignation of Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudani, who has been accused of corruption, al-Maliki's office said Monday, CNN reported.
Al-Sudani submitted his resignation on May 14, but al-Maliki delayed accepting it to ensure parliament had time to question him on the accusations, the prime minister's office said in a written statement.
The questioning occurred May 16-17, when the head of the integrity committee, Sheikh Sabah al-Saiydi, asked al-Sudani about a variety of issues. They included questions about the importation of goods intended for distribution in government food rations but rejected as unsuitable for human consumption; missing shipments of food; a missing $39 million; and obstruction of justice.
Al-Sudani acknowledged that his ministry has had some problems with corruption, but denied he was personally involved.
- CNN Producer Yousif Bassil contributed to this story from Baghdad.
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