Iraqi Finance Ministry says prisoner payment plans must secure full recovery of state funds

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Finance said any payment arrangement for convicted prisoners must guarantee the full recovery of funds owed to the state treasury. The ministry issued the statement in response to remarks by the Supreme Judicial Council a day earlier, underscoring that payment plans must be binding, enforceable and sufficient to cover outstanding public claims. The ministry defined its role in corruption-related cases as limited to financial matters and the retrieval of state assets. Judicial procedures and pardon requests, it said, fall exclusively within the authority of the judiciary and must be carried out under existing legal frameworks. The ministry also reaffirmed its commitment to coordinating with the judiciary and oversight bodies to protect public property. It added that safeguarding state rights requires that any settlement mechanism be designed to ensure no loss to public funds.