Iraq: More than 20 detained in Dhi Qar graft probe targeting municipal staff

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi intelligence and anti-corruption forces have launched a joint operation in Dhi Qar province targeting more than 20 people, including employees of the municipal administration, the land registry and the local bar association, on charges of causing heavy damage to public property, security sources said. The detentions follow arrest warrants issued under Article 341 of Iraq's 1969 Penal Code, as amended. More than eight suspects have been taken into custody so far, according to the sources, among them former Nasiriya Mayor Kahtan Adnan. The Dhi Qar Court of Appeal said the detained group included Nasiriya municipal workers and intermediaries, and that investigators seized seals, documents and records related to residential land, along with forged powers of attorney and other papers. The court added that communications devices and weapons were also found with the suspects. On Thursday, the Nasiriya Corruption Investigation Court issued arrest warrants for eight municipal officials, including the former mayor, the former head of the real estate directorate, the city planning director and the secretary of the land distribution commission.