Iraq’s integrity commission to treat environmental violations as corruption offenses

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission on Sunday outlined the second phase of its “Strengthening Arbitration and Combating Corruption for Environmental Justice” project, saying environmental violations will now be pursued as corruption cases within its criminal mandate.

Muthar al-Jubouri, the commission’s first deputy chairman, told the state news agency in remarks followed by 964media that the project “carries vital importance as it addresses existential challenges facing Iraq related to the environment, water and climate change.” He said the commission will “legally classify environmental violations as corruption cases punishable by law.”

Al-Jubouri said the second phase builds on the project’s initial results and will focus on internal factors that have worsened environmental risks, “foremost among them corrupt practices.” He cited decisions to ignore the Environment Ministry’s opinion or to bypass required approvals when establishing industrial projects as “one form of corruption the commission will address firmly and place at the forefront of its investigative priorities.”

He said linking environmental issues to the commission’s work reflects evidence that administrative and financial corruption have contributed to Iraq’s environmental deterioration. The Environment Ministry has filed more than 300 criminal complaints related to violations, he added, and the commission is handling them “with high sensitivity and shed light on them to reinforce the concept that harming the environment is a corrupt act subject to strict legal accountability.”

The announcement comes amid broader government efforts to tighten enforcement. In late November, the Interior Ministry said Environmental Police filed 380 cases against activities that breached environmental regulations, describing the measures as part of a wider push to strengthen protection and oversight of industrial projects, as concerns mount over pollution and environmental degradation across the country.