Parliament probes +$30B corruption in Basra government
Shafaq News – Baghdad (updated at 22:11)
A parliamentary investigation uncovered financial violations worth nearly 4.5 trillion Iraqi dinars ($31.9 billion) in Basra’s local government, the head of the investigative committee, MP Saud al-Saadi, said on Sunday.
Iraq’s parliament had formed an investigative committee on February 27, 2024, to examine irregularities in the Basra administration.
The head of Huqooq bloc, the political wing of Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah, MP Saud al-Saadi noted in a press conference that the inquiry—conducted with the Federal Board of Supreme Audit and other institutions—found that Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani had committed “multiple financial and administrative violations that intentionally caused harm to public funds.”
Al-Saadi stated that the governor and his departments failed to address repeated violations highlighted in audit reports, issued unauthorized contract amendments and extended project durations far beyond their original timelines—raising costs significantly.
The investigation also revealed collusion between the provincial government and Al-Ataa Islamic bank, which is managed by the governor’s wife, Hadeel Abdul-Salam. The bank allegedly provided fake guarantee letters for projects that were never entered into the official system, with several later confirmed forged. Al-Saadi also reported manipulation in Basra’s petrodollar allocations and the non-collection of financial stamp fees.
The committee urged legal action against al-Eidani and local department heads for deliberate misuse of public funds, calling on the Supreme Judicial Council to move the case to Baghdad’s Integrity Court. It also recommended suing the former director of Al-Bilad Bank, voting to dismiss al-Eidani for corruption, and forming a joint probe by the audit board, central bank, and integrity commission into forged guarantees issued by Al-Ataa Islamic bank.
