Iraqi land registry says Amiriyah property fraud in Baghdad dates back more than a decade

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Land Registry Directorate said forged property transactions uncovered in the Amiriyah district of Baghdad were carried out between 2013 and 2016 by an organized group that included registry employees. The agency said members of the network were arrested during judicial investigations and that, based on their confessions, fake transactions and properties were identified and referred to the competent courts. According to the directorate, convictions have been issued against some employees and suspects, with their assets confiscated under the rulings. A special investigation commission completed its review of the file and submitted its report to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. The directorate said current oversight mechanisms now flag suspicious transactions and send them directly to the judiciary, a step it described as protecting the integrity of the land registry system. No further details on the size of the fraud or the number of those convicted were immediately available. Separately, the Federal Integrity Commission announced two operations in Basra. In one, a court enforcement office director was detained on allegations of abusing his position to solicit a bribe from a citizen and blocking the completion of a legitimate transaction. In a second case, two people were arrested at the Basra Municipality for allegedly handling citizens' transactions without authorization.