Nasiriyah corruption suspect escapes arrest

Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

A Nasiriyah municipal employee wanted on corruption charges escaped during an attempt to arrest him on Wednesday, a security source told Shafaq News.

Security forces raided his home, but he fled shortly before they arrived, prompting a search across Dhi Qar province. According to the source, the employee, locally nicknamed the “Crocodile of Nasiriyah Municipality,” faces several warrants from the Integrity Investigation Court and “owns dozens of properties outside Nasiriyah that were bought to conceal illicit wealth.”

Since the government launched its ongoing Dawn Crackdown (Sawlat Al-Fajr) anti-corruption campaign on June 28, Shafaq News has documented more than 23 arrests in Dhi Qar and the dismissal of several directors-general. Authorities are also investigating the alleged manipulation of 40,000 residential plots in Nasiriyah and suspected financial waste in investment and health contracts.

Nationwide, at least 210 officials, lawmakers, public employees, and business figures were detained between June 28 and Aug. 9, according to a Shafaq News review.

Read more: Corruption arrests in Iraq pass 210 under PM al-Zaidi