Iraq education official jailed in $50K bribe case

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A senior Iraqi Education Ministry official was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 10 million dinars (around $7,600) over a $50,000 bribe case, the Federal Integrity Commission said on Tuesday.

The commission clarified that the official, director general of Al-Karkh First Education, had requested the money to close investigative committees formed against a school principal and keep him in his post.

In March, an Integrity Commission team arrested an intermediary accused of seeking the same bribe to cancel the committee.

Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, as part of his ninisterial pledge, has expanded an anti-corruption campaign focused on auditing government contracts, investigating ministries and state bodies, and recovering public funds.