Corruption allegations: PUK accused of “unfair” deal in Al-Sulaymaniyah, gaining $25M land for $1M bridge

Shafaq News/ Al-Mawqif movement sparked widespread controversy after accusing a company affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of benefiting from an "unfair deal" in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region.

The deal involved building a $1 million bridge in exchange for the company receiving land valued between $25 million and $30 million.

In a statement on his Facebook page, the movement head, Ali Hama Salih sent a direct message to Al-Sulaymaniyah Governor Haval Abu Bakr and local authorities, accusing the PUK of “exploiting its influence to seize public land at low prices.”

He explained that the company acquired a large plot of land in Al-Sulaymaniyah industrial zone, calling the deal "unfair and a prime example of financial and administrative corruption.”

“The land, which will be sold under the Law on the Sale and Lease of State Assets and Property, is valued between $25 million and $30 million,” Saleh added. “The PUK holds near-total control over the city's resources and assets.”

Despite his strong criticism of the deal, Salih acknowledged that the situation in Al-Sulaymaniyah is relatively better compared to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, where “land is granted without any projects being implemented.”