Dhi Qar governor says 6 billion dinars recovered, over 50 officials referred to court

NASIRIYAH, Iraq — The governor of Dhi Qar province, Heytham al-Hamdani, said on Wednesday that 6 billion Iraqi dinars have been recovered as part of anti-corruption efforts and that payments exceeding 20 billion dinars to officials found to have acted improperly have been cancelled. In a post on his social media account, al-Hamdani said more than 200 investigation commissions had been formed, 100 administrative penalties issued and over 50 officials referred to the judiciary. He added that an electronic platform and barcode system have been introduced to prevent corruption in land allocation procedures. The announcement comes two days after al-Hamdani took over the administration of the Nasiriyah municipal council and issued decisions that included removing officials from their administrative posts. The Nasiriyah investigative court issued arrest warrants last Thursday against several individuals, including eight senior municipal employees, in cases involving land and public property files. Operations were carried out against more than 20 people across the province, including employees of the municipality, land registry and bar association, according to the statement. Former Nasiriyah Mayor Mohammed Abd Leilu was detained, al-Hamdani said. Documents covering roughly 600 residential land plots, left behind in the Salhiya district by an official under an arrest warrant before he fled, were seized by the security teams, he added. No further details were immediately available on the ongoing cases.