$76M gone: Iraq nabs officials in land scam

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission arrested six employees from the First Nasiriyah Municipality Directorate and the First and Second Real Estate Registration Directorates in Dhi Qar province over corruption charges.

In an official statement, the Commission described the arrests as part of a “high-profile operation” carried out under a judicial warrant by three investigative teams from its Dhi Qar office. The employees were accused of manipulating technical reports for high-value residential and commercial land plots from 2020 through 2024, causing significant financial damage to the state.

Authorities seized documentation showing manipulation and waste totaling 98.6 billion dinars (approximately $76M). According to the Commission, the suspects unlawfully allocated land to various recipients in violation of public auction rules and fair market pricing requirements.

The arrests follow earlier reporting by Shafaq News on Thursday, which revealed that a force from the commission—backed by a large security contingent—raided the municipality building and detained several employees, including the head of urban planning. At the time, nine other staff members fled the scene and remain wanted by authorities under arrest warrants issued pursuant to Article 340 of the Penal Code.