Authorities foil land seizure, uncover $142K in social welfare fraud in Ramadi

ANBAR — The Federal Commission of Integrity announced Wednesday that it has thwarted an attempt to illegally seize state-owned land in Ramadi and uncovered fraudulent activity in 46 files from the Social Protection Department in Anbar governorate.

“The staff of the Federal Commission of Integrity managed to uncover manipulation in 46 files belonging to the Social Protection Department in Anbar,” the commission said in a statement. “They also prevented an attempt to seize a property belonging to the state in the city.”

A field team from the commission’s Anbar office conducted the operations under judicial warrants. Investigators found that fake names had been added to social welfare eligibility records, resulting in the disbursement of salaries totaling approximately 209,475,000 Iraqi dinars (about $142,500), according to the statement.

In a separate case, another commission team intervened to halt the illegal transfer of state-owned land registered under the Ramadi municipality. “The team discovered manipulation and forgery in the property’s transfer, including changing ownership using a registration document that lacked the original acquisition records,” the commission noted.

Warrants were issued for three suspects in connection with the cases, and an official freeze was placed on the disputed property. The suspects will be prosecuted under Articles 289 and 340 of the Penal Code. Two official seizure reports, along with supporting evidence, have been submitted to the competent judge.