Suspect arrested in Basra over illegal possession of state land contracts worth 5 billion IQD

BASRA — The Federal Commission of Integrity reported Tuesday the arrest of a suspect in Basra for unlawfully possessing contractual documents related to state-owned agricultural lands valued at 5 billion IQD ($3,522,500).

A team from the commission’s Basra Investigation Directorate apprehended a surveyor employed at the Basra and Zubair Agriculture Directorate. The suspect was caught in possession of original applications and contract files for large plots of agricultural land, allegedly submitted through illegal means. These documents, found at the suspect’s residence, belonged to individuals with no legal connection to him.

The team also seized sums of money, gold jewelry, electronic payment cards, and original transaction files related to the rental of agricultural lands. Additional items confiscated included computers belonging to the agriculture directorate, an original stamp from a private engineering office, disks containing agricultural map data, and hard drives with information on agricultural properties.

The commission confirmed that the suspect was apprehended. A formal report was filed, and the suspect, along with the seized items, was referred to the Basra Court of Inquiry for Integrity and Money Laundering for further legal proceedings.