Anti-corruption body foils attempt to smuggle iron from Umm Qasr port

BASRA, August 28 — Iraq’s Integrity Commission announced on Sunday that authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle 30 trucks loaded with iron  through Umm Qasr port.

In a statement, the Commission stated: “The investigative department thwarted an attempt to smuggle trucks loaded with iron bars and ‘through Umm Qasr port.”

The statement further explained that a team from the Investigation, Inspection, and External Audit Divisions in the Basra Investigative Directorate foiled the smuggling operation, reportedly carried out by a company at the port. The company attempted to move vehicles loaded with the material after falsifying their weights and manipulating official documents in order to evade paying the full customs and tax fees.

The statement added that the investigative team moved to the storage pier to observe procedures for 30 trucks loaded with cargo and monitor issuance of passage permits for them to exit through the main port gates. The team moved promptly towards the gates and the digital scale to ensure that no trucks were leaving without a final inspection.

The team noted that the ship manifest for the cargo showed evidence of a difference in fees, delivery process, and weight, than previously calculated.