Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

An Iraqi lawmaker on Tuesday referred an $81 million contract between Dhi Qar's Health Directorate and Qatar's Apex Health company to Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission and the Ministry of Health for investigation and possible legal action against those found responsible for “negligence.”

Farouq Al-Yasari said that the contract spans two years, citing a number of legal violations in the award process, as well as indications of public fund waste, administrative negligence, and harm to the public interest. He described the suspicions surrounding it as one of the biggest corruption cases in Dhi Qar and no less serious than the Theft of the Century case.

Al-Yasari explained that the referral was made under parliament's oversight powers as stipulated in Article 61 (Seventh/A) of the Iraqi Constitution and Article 15 of the amended Law No. 13 of 2018 governing the Council of Representatives and its formations.

Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity in 2025 recovered nearly one trillion dinars (about $650M) in public funds while pursuing dozens of senior officials, including ministers, through judicial proceedings.

On May 30, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi established the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds, tasked with pursuing cases involving the misuse of public money across ministries, government institutions, and provincial administrations.

Read more: What does Iraq's new government promise? A guide to Ali Al-Zaidi's ministerial program