Beyond the Headlines: Cash for jobs in Iraq's government

Ahmed Maher speaks to graduates who paid for jobs but were let go soon after

Iraq is listed as the 20th most corrupt country in the world in the latest ranking by anti-corruption organisation Transparency International.

Venality is rampant in a country still emerging from the shadows of several wars, terrorism and long-time sanctions. One aspect of this is the widespread practice of paying bribes to secure government jobs.

Despite laws that criminalise the briber and the bribe-taker, new graduates desperate for jobs say they have no other option. Since 2003, job creation has mainly been a government task. In this week's Beyond the Headlines host Ahmed Maher asks: is corruption in Iraq impossible to beat?