The headquarters of the Federal Commission of Integrity in Iraq.
'Released on bail'
Seven officials arrested in Salah Al-Din for forgery, property fraud and fake pensions
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Commission of Integrity announced Sunday the arrest of seven government employees in Salah Al-Din governorate on charges related to forgery and fraud in state property sales and pension disbursements.
The arrests include the director of the Sharqat municipality and five other staff members, detained during two operations conducted by the commission’s investigative team in Salah Al-Din. The investigation uncovered tampering and forgery in the sale of 70 government-owned properties. Authorities seized all original falsified documents.
According to the commission, the accused conspired with staff from the Sharqat real estate registration office and a middleman to illegally sell residential plots owned by the state. The transactions were fraudulently processed using fabricated approvals attributed to the Minister of Construction, Housing, and Municipalities and the Salah Al-Din Directorate of Municipalities.
In a separate case, commission investigators discovered that employees in the Salah Al-Din retirement department had submitted pension files under fictitious names, specifically under categories reserved for martyrs and wounded individuals. Five fraudulent pension applications were seized, with a total value of 1.61 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $1.1 million).
All suspects were referred to the Salah Al-Din Investigation Court, which handles corruption cases. The court released them on bail pending further proceedings.
