Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi has no excuse for ignoring the implementation of judicial orders to summon and arrest members of parliament whose term ended last week and other senior state officials whom lawsuits pertaining to administrative and financial corruption as well as terrorism have been filed against.

 

In fact, there can be no legitimate excuse as the accused are no longer members of parliament and they do not enjoy parliamentary immunity.

 

The political powers, which had great influence in parliament and which Abadi feared “harassing” their MPs, ministers and corrupt chiefs or sponsors of terrorism are no longer capable of threatening to overthrow his government.

 

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Upholding people’s rights and the country’s destiny is now the responsibility of Abadi and his government, until the counting and sorting of the election results are complete and the results are ratified, followed by the formation of the new parliament and government.

 

Over the past four years, Abadi had promised much, but little was achieved as even the promise to defeat terrorism was not completely kept. ISIS is still active and committing its crimes in cold blood in many places across the country.

 

Abadi is not being asked to hang the corrupt or terrorists in public squares as was the norm during the rule of the Ba’ath Party. All that is to be done is for judicial orders and summons to be executed and those wanted to be brought before the court.