Iraqi officers protest over delayed housing land

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Army officers in Baghdad staged a protest on Monday to demand long-promised housing plots, accusing the Officers’ Housing Association of corruption and diverting land to investors.

The demonstrators — a mix of retired and serving officers — gathered outside the association’s headquarters, saying they have been paying monthly fees for four decades without receiving allocations. They estimate total contributions have exceeded 50B dinars ($38.2B).

Protesters allege the association’s leadership has stalled their demands while authorizing investment projects on land originally intended for members.

Their complaints come as Iraqi authorities expand probes into real estate corruption. Earlier this month, the Integrity Commission in Mosul uncovered fraudulent sales of more than 4,000 plots worth an estimated 48B dinars ($38B), resulting in several arrests.

Iraq continues to rank near the bottom of Transparency International’s global corruption index, with property mismanagement among its most persistent problems.