Kurdistan Integrity Commission: 125 corruption cases so far in 2018
The Kurdistan Region's main anti-corruption body announced on Tuesday that it had received over one hundred case referrals since the beginning of the year, 59 of which have already been sent to court.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's main anti-corruption body announced on Tuesday that it had received over one hundred case referrals since the beginning of the year, 59 of which have already been sent to court.
“Since the start of 2018 until June 30, we have received 125 official allegations of corruption in the Kurdistan Region,” Kurdistan Commission of Integrity head Ahmed Anwar said in a press conference held in Erbil.
He mentioned the number has increased compared to the previous years and claimed this was a sign that people "are helping the commission to fight corruption."
Of the 59 cases had been sent to the courts, Anwar specified, 28 of them were from Erbil, 13 from Sulaimani, and 19 from Duhok. Currently, there are 112 total cases being heard, with the additional number from previous years.
He added that, if the numbers continue to grow, the commission might ask for the establishment of a special court to accelerate rulings in the region. He also said that 10 of the recent cases were dismissed as part of a general amnesty rule that was issued earlier this year.
In late May, the commission announced it had convicted two individuals in separate cases for corruption and fraud and had fined them a total combined amount of over $1.6 million that was to be "returned to the public treasury."
Former President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani has made several statements in support of the commission and has said that combating corruption in the Kurdistan Region "is as important" as the fight against the Islamic State (IS).
Editing by John J. Catherine