Iraqi Labor Ministry contracts worth billions probed amid 50% commission allegations

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An ongoing corruption investigation into Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has turned to contracts worth billions of dinars allegedly signed through a front company, with some tenders said to carry commissions of 50%, according to the allegations under examination. Investigators say the company obtained permission to open a private office for hiring foreign workers after signing two contracts with the ministry. The firm is alleged to have operated in coordination with lawmaker Nizam Mohammed Dweij al-Asadi and former minister Ahmed al-Asadi. It is registered in the name of Samer Shakir Hashim, a security aide assigned to the lawmaker, though its actual ownership is said to lie with others, according to the claims. Ministry staff are also reported to have faced pressure to expedite transactions, with some contracts reportedly prepared outside the ministry building. The inquiry into former minister Ahmed al-Asadi widened after cash and gold bars were seized during a raid on his residence in the Green Zone, intensifying calls from the public and political circles for a deeper investigation. No further details on the scope of the contracts or the individuals named were immediately available.