178 people convicted on corruption charges in Kurdistan Region
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In 2023, 1,100 corruption cases were investigated in the Kurdistan Region, and 230 cases were prosecuted, according to a senior official of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) media department.
Dr. Ahmed Anwar Muhammad, Chairman of the Commission of Integrity of the Kurdistan Region, added that after enacting the reform law, 178 people, including citizens up to the rank of minister, were convicted on corruption charges.
“In 2019-2023, there has been outstanding progress in the fight against corruption by the Commission of Integrity,” the official continued.
"The investigation required the cooperation of the prosecutor general, the legal office, and the ministries, so these parties have not shown any shortcomings and have contributed heavily to the anti-corruption process," Muhammad stressed.
The KRG's Ninth Cabinet has mentioned reform and fighting corruption as a high priority in its agenda.
Broadly speaking, Iraq is ranked 157 out of 180 countries on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index in 2021.
In October 2022, Iraqi security forces arrested businessman Nour Zuhair Jassem, suspected of being a culprit in the scandalous and unprecedented embezzlement of funds of the country.
At least five companies, through 247 cheques, embezzled a total of $2.5 billion from September 2021 until August 2022 from the country’s tax authority.
The Kurds have frequently brought up the scandal in recent budget meetings with their Iraqi counterparts, insinuating that the corruption plaguing the country has affected its ability to pay the autonomous region its rightful portion of the budget.
According to the Washington Post, between $300-350 billion had been lost to corruption in Iraq over a 12-year period from 2003 to 2015. Since then, much of the embezzlement has continued to plague the oil-rich country.
Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq