Baghdad Education Official Sentenced to 4 Years for Bribery

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An education director in Baghdad's Karkh district was sentenced to four years in prison on bribery charges, according to the Iraqi Federal Transparency Agency. The Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court in Baghdad imposed the sentence and a fine of 10 million dinars on the director, who was found to have demanded $50,000 from a complainant, the agency said Tuesday. Court documents state the money was sought in exchange for closing investigation committees examining the official and allowing him to remain in his post, according to the agency. The agency reported that an arrest warrant was executed in late March and that an intermediary was caught red-handed while demanding the bribe. After reviewing the evidence, the court found the defendant guilty. The director was sentenced to aggravated imprisonment, a category that carries enhanced conditions under Iraqi law.