Corruption leaves 46 million Iraqis chasing 8 million homes
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s population of around 46 million is competing for roughly 8 million homes nationwide, Communications Minister Mustafa Jabbar Sanad said on Saturday, blaming the shortage partly on corruption, property hoarding and the concentration of real estate in the hands of influential figures.
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In a social media post, he said two individuals alone were linked to more than 300 properties and orchards. The deputy director of the Real Estate Registration Directorate in Saladin province, north of Baghdad, was linked to 95 properties, while detained Oil Ministry official Adnan al-Jamili was linked to 210.
The Saladin official referred to by Sanad is under investigation by Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission, which on Saturday reported fresh seizures in a money-laundering case involving dozens of properties allegedly concealed on her behalf.
“Fighting corruption would resolve part of the country’s economic problems, while better economic management and closer control of supply and demand would address the rest.”
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