Fallujah cultural center project stalled at 70% completion amid corruption allegations

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A cultural center project in Fallujah, Anbar province, has remained idle for years despite reaching 70% completion since 2014, a local source said, raising allegations of corruption. The source told reporters that the contracting company received all its dues before its contract was terminated, and that attempts since 2021 to revive the project produced no concrete results until 2025. According to the source, work briefly resumed in 2025 before being halted again due to insufficient budget allocations. The same funding shortages have stalled numerous other projects across Anbar, the source added. Center staff are currently operating from a temporary caravan site on land allocated by the city while waiting for the main building under construction in the southern part of Fallujah to be completed. The source also pointed to suspected corruption in the project, saying the removal of a major furnishing item from the project has caused concern among cultural sector workers in the city. No official letter has been sent to the city explaining why the project was stopped following the restoration of stability in Fallujah, the source said. It added that the Anbar local administration did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations.