Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has handed over dozens of people wanted in corruption cases to Baghdad, along with seized money, gold and property, KRI Interior Minister Reber Ahmed said on Sunday, pointing to closer cooperation with the Iraqi government in corruption investigations.

At a press conference, Ahmed stated that Erbil was enforcing arrest warrants issued for people wanted by the Iraqi prime minister’s office and the Federal Integrity Commission. “We are always serious about combating corruption, the drug trade and terrorism,” he added, expressing hope that authorities can reach a stage where the impact and consequences of these issues are reduced.

The cooperation took a more formal shape on Thursday, when Iraq’s federal and KRI anti-corruption bodies agreed to coordinate efforts to pursue corruption suspects across administrative boundaries, including the execution of arrest warrants and the recovery of illicit funds.

The agreement followed a meeting on Wednesday between KRI President Nechirvan Barzani and Federal Integrity Commission chief Mohammed Ali Muftan in Erbil. During the meeting, Barzani pledged full cooperation with the commission and judicial authorities to uphold the law and protect institutional and judicial independence.

During the first phase of Iraq’s anti-corruption campaign, launched on June 28 under the directive of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Kurdistan Region security forces took custody of eight suspects arrested in Erbil, including three lawmakers, and transferred them to Baghdad for legal proceedings.

Read more: Corruption arrests in Iraq pass 210 under PM al-Zaidi