Integrity Commission arrests four over copper theft
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission arrested four warehouse custodians at a state-owned factory in Al-Diwaniyah province, in southern Iraq, over the alleged theft of tons of copper, the commission said Monday.
The four men were responsible for a materials warehouse and are accused of embezzling copper held there, according to the commission's statement.
The suspects were brought before the investigating judge, who ordered them held pending investigation under Article 315 of Iraq's Penal Code. That article covers the embezzlement or concealment of funds or goods by a public official entrusted with them.
No trial date has been set, and the investigation remains open.
Since Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi launched the nationwide anti-corruption campaign known as the Dawn Crackdown (Sawlat al-Fajr) on June 28, Al-Diwaniyah has been a recurring focus of the operation.
The commission has detained at least 25 officials, including municipal officials, contractors, and health and municipality department employees across the province over alleged land fraud, misuse of municipal funds, and financial harm to the state. In a separate case, it dismantled a network accused of using forged documents to obtain residential land plots, bank loans, and public funds in the province.
Nationwide, the Iraqi authorities detained at least 210 officials, lawmakers, employees, and business figures in the first six weeks of the anti-corruption campaign, according to a Shafaq News review of cases documented between June 28 and August 9.
