Iraqi anti-corruption agency says Diyala municipality employee arrested for bribery

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity said a woman working in a municipality's real-estate department in Diyala province was arrested while accepting a bribe, according to the agency's statement. The employee had negotiated with a citizen and demanded money to advance the sale of a state-owned plot of land, the commission said. Acting on a tip-off, the commission formed an investigation team composed of personnel in Diyala. After verifying the information and obtaining the required authorization from the judiciary, the team carried out an operation in which the woman was caught red-handed receiving the bribe. An official record was prepared and submitted along with the evidence to the judge handling corruption cases at the Diyala Investigative Court. The judge ordered her detention as part of the investigation, the commission added. The case was filed under the law governing the sale and lease of state property, the statement said. No further details were immediately available.