ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq announced on Wednesday the arrest of dozens of government employees in Salahaddin province on charges of forging “fake repair receipts,” resulting in "illegal disbursement of funds."
The Iraqi Federal Integrity Commission announced the arrested were employees of Tikrit Municipality.
“The receipts were prepared by the heads and members of the purchasing, receiving, and auditing committees, as well as the storekeeper, who were arrested according to a judicial warrant,” read a statement by the commission on Wednesday.
An investigative team formed by the Salahadin Province’s Investigation Office was able to uncover over 1600 fake receipts for the maintenance and receipt of the municipality’s vehicles through the years 2020 to 2024, the statement added.
The Iraqi government has previously admitted that it was gripped by ongoing challenges, including persistent issues with bribery, forgery, and overall security.
The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced on Tuesday that they have uncovered large amounts of “counterfeit” and “smuggled” medicines in operations across four provinces in the country.
The INSS stated that their detachments in Basra arrested three individuals accused of “smuggling 285 boxes of unregistered medicines and 500,000 ampoules” with forged customs papers headed to Baghdad.
Last week, the Nineveh Provincial Council ousted Ahmed al-Hasud, the head of the body, accusing him of forging his educational credentials and committing several legal violations.
Iraq ranks 140 out of 180 when it comes to countries’ corruption rates, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International.
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