“In other words, if he had elected to stay, he would still be there today”, Ghika said.
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The announcement comes less than one week after the Iraqi parliament unanimously approved a reform package that eliminated some senior government posts, among other things.
Al-Maliki acted as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 until August last year when he stepped aside to be replaced by Haider al-Abadi’s coalition government after ISIS were able to gain a foothold in the country.
A year in office, Abadi is seeking to transform a system he complained has spawned corruption and incompetence that has deprived Iraqis of basic services while undermining government forces in the battle against ISIS fighters.
Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar, spokesman for the federal judiciary, said in a statement that a vote was held to determine whether al-Mahmoud should submit his resignation and the members unanimously decided to reject those calls. Last year, Abadi replaced Maliki as prime minister, relegating his predecessor to the largely ceremonial post of vice president.
A report detailing the committee’s findings was presented to the parliamentary speaker, Salim al-Juburi, who said he would pass it on to Iraq’s prosecutor general for possible legal action.
Mr Maliki has been directly blamed for extending patronage along sectarian lines, contributing to a growing disenfranchisement among the Sunni-majority population of the Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.
IS militants overran Iraq’s northern city of Mosul in June 2014 as they captured large swaths of territory during a rapid advance through western and northern Iraq.
Abadi ordered security forces to hold their positions in Anbar, but some troops fled from the militants, abandoning their vehicles and weapons.
Investigations showed that the commanders had left their positions in Ramadi in violation of instructions against retreat from the area, al-Abadi’s office said.
The officials named in the investigation came across as being “very incompetent and very corrupt”, he said.
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And he merged the science and technology ministry with higher education, environment with health, municipalities with reconstruction and housing, and tourism and antiquities with culture.
