Iraq arrests five Diwaniyah municipal employees on corruption charges

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi authorities detained five employees of Diwaniyah's municipal government, including two senior officials, following a joint operation by counterterrorism forces and the Federal Integrity Commission, a security source said. Those held include a former deputy mayor, the municipality's revenue director, two accounting staff members and one employee from the parks and gardens department. The security source said judicial arrest warrants had been issued against the five under Article 341 of Iraq's amended Penal Code No. 1969. The operation followed a late-July statement by the Federal Integrity Commission, which announced roughly 30 arrest and search warrants targeting current and former municipal officials, employees and contractors in Diwaniyah. The commission accused those named of embezzlement, bribery and securing illicit gains from tenders and contracts, causing damage to public funds. No further details on the latest detentions were immediately available.