Iraq uncovers $1.3M electricity corruption scheme
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s Integrity Commission on Tuesday arrested four senior electricity officials over an alleged 1.744 billion-dinar ($1.33 million) corruption scheme involving stolen electrical equipment in Diyala province.
The Commission accused the officials at Diyala's Electricity Distribution Directorate of exploiting their positions to steal electrical materials and embezzle public funds, causing losses to the state.
Investigators found that the materials were allegedly diverted before reaching the directorate's warehouses. The suspects allegedly prepared irregular disbursement documents and obtained internal approvals to facilitate the scheme, while retaining duplicate records with two of the accused, the commission explained, although, under established procedures, electrical materials must be registered through transfer documents signed by warehouse custodians before being entered into inventory accounts.
In 2021, Iraq's anti-corruption committee arrested Raad Qasim Muhammad, then director general of the Investment Department at the Electricity Ministry, on corruption charges.
On May 30, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi established the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds, a body tasked with investigating corruption cases, auditing government contracts, and pursuing the recovery of misappropriated state assets. In his first cabinet session, Al-Zaidi also ordered ministers and senior officials to submit financial disclosure statements as part of a broader anti-corruption drive, describing the protection of public funds as a government priority.
