BAGHDAD // A leading Iraqi anti-corruption unit warned that controversial bomb-detection equipment was failing long before the latest string of blasts hit Baghdad, The National has learned.
Aqeel Turaihi, the inspector general of the ministry of interior's anti-fraud watchdog, said he had raised concerns that the ADE-651 bomb detectors did not work and had been purchased as part of a corrupt contract. "There are strong indications of corruption in the deals to buy these explosives detectors and I submitted a report to that effect to the minister of interior and the parliamentary integrity commission," he said in an exclusive interview.
"I referred [in my report] to a buying process marred by suspicions over the equipment and the efficiency and value of the contracts. There were senior officials involved in these transactions. "These detectors are not working well. There is something seriously wrong with their performance and now Baghdad is facing more bomb attacks." Each ministry has an independent anti-fraud unit to oversee its operations.
The anti-fraud units are part of a programme started by the prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, to tackle rampant corruption. As inspector general, Mr Turaihi holds a senior position in the team monitoring the ministry of interior, which bought the ADE-651. According to Mr Turaihi, he issued the report criticising the device after a series of massive bombings that devastated government ministries in the Iraqi capital in August. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the blasts, with the bombs delivered to their targets despite the widespread use of the ADE-651 at checkpoints throughout Baghdad.
There have since been numerous other bombings, claiming scores of lives, the most recent on Monday when three co-ordinated explosions struck Baghdad hotels. The Iraqi government purchased about 2,000 of the wand-like ADE-651st from ATSC, a British firm, in a deal worth US$85 million (Dh312m). They are still being used as a key line of defence in Baghdad, as well as in other regional capitals, including Damascus and Amman, despite expert testimony saying they are useless for detecting bombs.
The British government has banned exports of the device and nine days ago ATSC's director, Jim McCormick, was arrested in the UK on suspicion of fraud. He was subsequently released on bail but remains under investigation. According to the company, the ADE-651 is capable of detecting all kinds of explosives, from bombs to bullets, using a special electronic card. Research by the BBC found the card contained a tag used by stores to prevent shoplifting, with no function for detecting explosive materials.
The Iraqi government has launched a series of probes into the ADE-651, none of which have yet reported their findings. Despite the ministry of interior's own watchdog doubting the effectiveness of the device, top officials in the ministry continue to insist it works. The interior minister, Jawad al Bolani, said the ADE-651 had successfully found 16,000 bombs, including 700 car bombs. Any failures were likely to be caused by operator error, he said.
Gen Abdul Rasul al Azydi, the director of civil defence in Baghdad, and one of the officials in charge of overseeing use of the ADE-651, echoed those remarks. "These devices are good and I have total trust in them," he said in an interview. "They have already prevented lots of car bombs from getting into Baghdad and they have saved the lives of many Iraqis. "I have no doubt about their performance. Any problems come from the Iraqi soldiers using them; they don't wear gloves, which is essential and they don't move their legs. These devices need movement to work.
"We need to educate our security forces to use them properly." While some soldiers and police officers also continue to extol the virtues of the ADE-651, those passing through checkpoints have doubts about the machine's abilities. "These devices are stupid," said Ala al Deen Sabah, a lorry driver working the route between Basra and Baghdad. "They say they can find bullets but I always carry a rifle with me and no one at a checkpoint has ever found it when I'm searched.
"If I wanted I could get a bomb into Baghdad with no problems. The devices don't work and you can always give a soldier some money to get through a checkpoint without being searched." In Iraq's parliament there is growing anger about the ADE-651 and failures to prevent attacks in the run-up to March's national election. Haneen Kado, an MP from the minority Shabak sect, demanded legal action be taken action against those who purchased the ADE-651 and against ATSC.
"If we rely on these devices there is no point in having checkpoints," he said. "It makes the whole of Baghdad open to terrorist attacks. We are in a dangerous situation and there could be new bombings at any time. "We must investigate exactly who bought and sold these detectors and see that they answer in court." nlatif@thenational.ae