Iraq's Interior Ministry says legal action taken against nearly 8,000 personnel since start of year

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Interior Ministry said legal action has been taken against nearly 8,000 officers, employees and civilian personnel since the beginning of the year for various disciplinary and criminal offenses. Brigadier General Mikdad Miri, head of the ministry's Press and Relations Department, announced the figure on Sunday, August 9, listing offenses that included bribery, abuse of duty, negligence, embezzlement, theft, forgery, causing public harm, fraud, smuggling, blackmail and document leaks. The ministry also said that consultants involved in carrying out disciplinary procedures had been identified and are being processed under the same framework. Officials said the action is part of an internal accountability drive led from within the ministry itself. In its statement, the ministry stressed that anti-corruption efforts begin inside the institution and that the law will be applied equally to anyone who abuses public office or misuses their position, regardless of rank. No further details on individual cases, ranks or outcomes were immediately released.