Ministry blames airport company rep in probe of traveler’s bribery claim

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry on Saturday said a representative of a private company working at Baghdad International Airport, not passport officers, was responsible for extorting money from a Turkish traveler who said he entered the country “by paying a bribe.”

The Turkish citizen had earlier posted a video on social media describing his experience at the airport. He said he entered Iraq “by paying a bribe,” claiming officials asked him for “$50, about 70–80 thousand dinars.” He said an official threw his passport in front of him, told him he was coming from “Kurdistan,” and that a facilitator later pulled him aside and requested the money. He added that he was allowed to enter the country without a passport stamp and that the staff “looked at each other after taking the money,” which he described as stressful.

In its statement responding to the video, the ministry said the interior minister had “directed the opening of an urgent investigation regarding the claim of a Turkish national, who said he was asked to pay money when entering Baghdad International Airport by a passport official.”

According to the ministry, investigators reviewed surveillance footage and coordinated with other authorities. The inquiry “showed that a representative of one of the companies operating inside the airport, a civilian company, was the one who committed this act, and that employees of the passports directorate or Interior Ministry had no connection to the incident.”

The ministry said it “took the necessary legal measures through the judiciary against the representative of the company, for conduct that harms the country’s reputation and official work, and for taking money without justification.”

It added that the ministry “will not tolerate any attempt to extort travelers or harm the reputation of the Iraqi state.”

The statement urged passengers to report any suspected violations at border crossings so legal measures can be taken “immediately.”