Nasiriyah court jails property official and wife for illicit enrichment

DHI QAR — The Nasiriyah Misdemeanor Court on Tuesday sentenced the director of the Nasiriyah Municipality’s Property Department and his wife to five years in prison for illicit enrichment, the Supreme Judicial Council said.

His wife worked in the municipality’s City Planning Department, the judiciary said.

The ruling was issued under Article 19 of Integrity Commission and Illicit Gain Law No. 30 of 2011, in conjunction with Articles 47, 48 and 49 of Iraq’s Penal Code. The 2011 law requires senior officials and certain government employees to disclose their assets and lets prosecutors pursue cases in which officials cannot show that accumulated wealth was lawfully obtained.

The judiciary did not disclose the value of the assets or say how the couple’s wealth was found to have increased unlawfully.

The ruling comes amid a broader anti-corruption campaign Iraqi authorities launched in late June following the arrest of former Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs Adnan al-Jumaili. The investigation expanded into what the government calls the first phase of its “Dawn Strike” operation, which authorities say has led to the detention of dozens of current and former officials, lawmakers and businesspeople and the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, gold, real estate and other assets allegedly linked to corruption. Investigations continue.