Ex-minister walks out of prison

While 13,000 people remain in detention by the American military in Iraq, the vast majority waiting to be processed and tried for crimes, it seems that influential Iraqis held in the Iraqi system can escape prison quite easily.

An ex-minister (also a US citizen) convicted of corruption in October, fled his detention facility this past week, by simply walking out the door arm-in-arm with "foreign" (read: Iranian) security agents. Even more outrageous is that he is currently in touch with US Consular officials. Earlier this year, Saddam's nephew, convicted of bomb-making also walked out of prison aided by a police officer.

Yet more proof that the Iraqi government and security services are so compromised at this point, it is hard to see how any form of "fair" government or minimal democracy can emerge.