Najaf court sentences man to 18 years for impersonating judicial official

NAJAF, Iraq — A criminal court in Najaf has sentenced a man to 18 years in prison for forging identity documents to impersonate an employee of the office of the head of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Prime Minister's Central Anti-Corruption Committee. According to a statement relayed by the Judicial Media Unit, the defendant used the false identity to solicit money from individuals, claiming he could have corruption cases against them dismissed. The Najaf Criminal Court issued three separate six-year sentences under Article 1, paragraphs 1 and 2 of Decision No. 160 of 1983, bringing the total term to 18 years. The Supreme Judicial Council had announced on July 27 that a person operating under the same false identity had been detained in Najaf for attempting to extort money from officials while posing as a staff member of the council president's office and the Central Anti-Corruption Committee. The court's ruling halts the fraudulent scheme, according to the statement. No further details were immediately available.