Iraq's Mehayhi vows to reopen 'corrupt railway project' file

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Former Iraqi lawmaker Haytham al-Mahayni said he will use parliamentary oversight and pressure tools to reopen the case file on a railway project long labeled in Iraqi political discourse as a corruption-linked venture, accusing the project of causing the country substantial financial losses. Al-Mahayni said there are credible indications that actors within the government backed the project. He added that the General Prosecutor's Office and the Commission on Integrity, Iraq's main anti-corruption body, were contacted in previous parliamentary terms about the case. The former lawmaker said the project resulted in losses amounting to millions of dollars and damage to the state, without providing further detail on the specific contracts or financial figures involved. Al-Mahayni said the work to bring the files to light will begin once a new cabinet is formed, adding that the next government will be given a chance to act on accumulated corruption cases from previous terms and is expected to deliver results.