Baghdad recovers fugitive officials involved in corruption cases in Oman
Shafaq News / Federal Integrity Commission announced on Monday the recovery of two convicted government officials involved in financial corruption cases who had fled to Oman. The arrests were made in cooperation with Omani authorities and Interpol.
The Retrieval Department of the commission stated in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that the two convicted individuals included the former Director-General of Urban Planning at the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities, and Public Works, as well as the former Director-General of Agriculture in Anbar Province.
The commission noted that the arrest took place within the territory of Oman based on international arrest warrants and retrieval files prepared by the department in collaboration with relevant courts, following a search circular issued by the Arab Ministers of Interior Council.
It was further explained that a team from the Retrieval Department, along with a security unit from the Arab and International Police Directorate in the Ministry of Interior (Interpol), apprehended the convicted individuals for charges of abuse of official position and intentional damage to state funds, as well as illegal appropriation. The arrest took place in the capital, Muscat. Today, they were handed over to Baghdad International Airport to be delivered to the judicial authorities for fair judgment.
The department also highlighted that the convicted individuals had previously been sentenced in absentia by Iraqi judicial authorities, based on verdicts issued by the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court and Anbar Criminal Court, under articles 316 and 340 of the Penal Code.
The commission praised the role played by the Omani authorities in coordinating and cooperating with Iraqi authorities in apprehending and extraditing the convicted individuals, emphasizing their determination to narrow down the scope for corrupt fugitives and collaborate with countries where they may reside to prevent them from becoming safe havens for wanted fugitives.
The arrest in Oman was made in accordance with the search circular issued against the convicted individuals, based on the international arrest warrants requested and organized by the Retrieval Department. The expedited retrieval files contributed to the successful repatriation.
On February 23rd, the commission had announced a preliminary agreement between its president, Judge Haidar Hanoun, and the President of Oman's Financial and Administrative Supervisory Authority, Sheikh Ghosn bin Hilal Al Alawi, to sign a memorandum of understanding in the field of fighting corruption and exchanging information and investigations related to wanted individuals and corruption money smuggled abroad, with the aim of retrieving it.
