Dhi Qar police detain municipal director, property chief in corruption probe

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A security force affiliated with the Dhi Qar Police Directorate detained the director of the Germe Benî Said municipality south of Nasiriya and the head of the municipality's property department, security sources said. The arrest warrants were issued based on statements given by other suspects held by security authorities, according to the sources. The case is being handled under Article 341 of Iraq's amended Penal Code, Law No. 111 of 1969. The Dhi Qar Police Directorate did not immediately release further details about the allegations against the two officials. Dhi Qar has been the focus of a broader security and judicial operation in recent weeks, with more than 23 officials and employees detained and several director-generals removed from their posts. The investigations center on suspected irregularities in the distribution of roughly 40,000 plots of land through Nasiriya's municipal authorities and alleged financial misconduct in investment and health contracts worth billions of dinars. No further details were immediately available on the next steps in the case.