ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s interior ministry on Monday announced the sentencing of a traffic patrol officer to two years in prison, after a video of him receiving bribes went viral on the internet.

A video circulated on Iraqi social media in recent days, depicting a patrol officer in central Baghdad threatening a driver with a 50,000 dinar [around 35 dollars] fine for a traffic violation, before accepting a bribe of 5,000 dinars [around 3.5 dollars] and letting the vehicle go free.

The vehicle belonged to two can collectors. The video shows the men telling the officer that they did not have any cash to spare, to which the policeman responds: “Give me the money from cans.”

The incident sparked a lot of controversy online, with many bemoaning the level of corruption at Iraqi state institutions.

The interior ministry on Monday announced that the police officer has been sentenced to “severe imprisonment for a period of two years and a financial fine of 1,100,000 dinars [around 840 dollars], according to the provisions of the Penal Code,” as well as dismissal from his position, following an investigation by an internal security forces court.

A police commissioner who was also present during the violation was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for “overlooking the commission of a crime that he could have prevented and for not reporting it before it circulated on social media.”

The government of Prime Mister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has placed anti-corruption measures at the forefront of its policy objectives, with the Commission of Integrity receiving expanded oversight to curb long-standing issues of financial misconduct in the country’s offices.

At an anti-corruption conference organized by the Federal Board of Supreme Audit in February, Sudani said: “Corruption has become like a mutating virus, adapting itself to the measures taken by audit authorities.”

Iraq ranks 140 out of 180 when it comes to countries’ corruption rates, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International.

Reporting by Hevi Karam