Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

The Federal Integrity Commission and the Iraqi National Security Service arrested 70 people in a corruption investigation involving Nasiriyah Municipality in Dhi Qar province, while more than 15 warrants remain outstanding, an informed provincial government source told Shafaq News on Friday.

Around 15 of those detained are intermediaries or employees from other government departments rather than municipal staff, according to the source, who said several suspects still sought by the Dhi Qar Investigation Court, which handles integrity-related cases, have ties to senior officials, including relatives and guards of current Iraqi lawmakers.

Speaking to Shafaq News, lawmaker Abdullah Al-Khaigani put the municipality’s losses over the past five years at more than two trillion dinars ($1.52 billion), linking the alleged waste to land sales and investment arrangements involving suspected favoritism.

Nasiriyah Municipality Director Mohammed Jabbar Dhaif and his cousin reportedly fled to an unknown location this week after warrants were issued against them. A security source previously told Shafaq News that Dhi Qar lawmakers had threatened legal action against the provincial government over its handling of Dhaif’s case, while the investigation could also result in his removal as municipality director and return to his previous post in Al-Nasr district.

This is a developing story...