Iraqi MP: Some lawmakers to lose immunity

By Agence France Presse (AFP).

BAGHDAD: Iraq's Parliament is to be asked to strip immunity from several of its members to allow them to be investigated for various alleged crimes, senior lawmaker Abbas al-Bayyati said Wednesday. "There is request prepared by the executive bodies and sent to the Supreme Court urging Parliament to lift the immunity on some members so investigations can be carried out. This is not an arrest order," he said. Confirmation of the impending probe came as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki prepared to announce a reshuffle in Iraq's national unity government, but Bayyati insisted the vote was not a political witch hunt. "This action is not political. Complaints had been made against some of these people before they entered Parliament. The accusations are not based on their opinions. An MP enjoys immunity over his views," he said. Officials said the vote could come as early as Monday. - AFP