Former Kut mayor arrested over deadly mall project
Shafaq News – Wasit
On Sunday, Iraq’s Integrity Commission arrested the Kut’s municipality former director on corruption charges related to the construction of the city’s commercial center.
In a statement, the Commission confirmed that its team in the Wasit Investigation Office executed a judicial warrant, following an investigation into legal and administrative violations during the mall’s construction.
The Commission noted the arrest is part of a broader crackdown, having previously issued warrants for ten suspects from the Civil Defense Directorate and local municipal departments.
All suspects face charges of alleged negligence and administrative violations during their time in office.
The Wasit Health Department also announced that the forensic medicine unit at Al-Zahraa Hospital began handing over the charred bodies to relatives after conducting DNA tests, adding that the identities of 15 victims had been verified so far.
Earlier, Interior Ministry Spokesperson Brigadier General Miqdad al-Miri stated that Civil Defense had refused to approve the Kut Hypermarket project due to major safety violations.
The fire, that tore through the hypermarket, killed nearly 70 people, including women and children, prompting sweeping emergency measures across Iraq. Parliament requested a full report from Wasit lawmakers, while the Ministry of Trade denied any affiliation with the hypermarket.
