Iraq extradites fugitive grain examiner sentenced for certificate forgery

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Federal Commission of Integrity announced Thursday the extradition of a former Ministry of Trade employee convicted in absentia of falsifying laboratory test certificates for wheat and rice. The fugitive, Salah Mahdi Dahla, had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in manipulating grain quality reports.

Dahla, who worked as a lab examiner at the Abu Sakhir silo, was arrested in Tunisia and returned to Iraq following coordination between Interpol, the Public Prosecution, and the Arab and International Police Directorate, according to a statement from the commission.

“The efforts of the Federal Commission of Integrity, in cooperation with the judiciary and executive authorities, continue to track down fugitives and recover stolen assets from outside Iraq,” the commission said.

Two Interpol red notices were issued after Dahla’s location in Tunisia was confirmed and an extradition file was submitted to the relevant judicial authorities.

The Najaf Criminal Court, which handles integrity-related cases, found Dahla guilty of forging laboratory certificates for hundreds of tons of wheat and rice transferred from the Al-Manathera silo to the General Company for Grain Processing’s Babylon branch. The court determined that he had falsified grain quality specifications and signed documents using another examiner’s name to make the certificates appear legitimate.

Testimony from the General Company’s legal representative and forensic analysis led to the issuance of two seven-year prison sentences under Article 340 of Iraq’s Penal Code.