Integrity commission investigates a case of $3 million public money waste

Shafaq News/ The investigation bureau of Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission's on Thursday uncovered a severe financial mismanagement entailing a waste of three million US dollars of public funds in the Nasiriyah oil field.

In a press release issued earlier today, the Bureau cited that teams from the Dhi Qar Investigation Office, which previously moved to the Basra Oil Company in the southern part of the country, pinpointed an unnecessary procurement of six pumps by the company for the oil field.

The transaction, which manifested despite the clear absence of necessity, dates back to 2016 and amounts to three million US dollars.

“The pumps were neither installed nor operated by the Nasiriyah oil field administration or the Dhi Qar Oil Company, established subsequently to the procurement date.”

The material reportedly lay abandoned, exposed to the elements in open yards, in a blatant waste of the public funds.

The statement revealed that the abandonment has spurred substantial depreciation, rendering the equipment vulnerable to potential obliteration.

This, it noted, has consequently facilitated a remarkable dissipation of public funds.

In light of the discovery, the Nasiriyah Investigation Court, specializing in integrity cases, has mandated the seizure and safeguarding of the pumps. It has additionally instructed for an investigation to be undertaken by a judicial expert, who confirmed in his report the unused status of the pumps until the present moment.