Sale of Ramadi expansion land halted over valuation less than half market rate

RAMADI — A judge has suspended the sale of 550 donums of state land set aside for Ramadi’s future expansion after the Federal Commission of Integrity found it had been priced at less than half what investigators estimate it is worth.

The land was offered at 13.75 billion dinars, about $10.4 million at the official rate, against a commission estimate of roughly 33 billion, or $25 million — a gap of 19.25 billion dinars. The valuation committee at the Anbar State Properties Department had assessed it at 25.09 million dinars a donum, which investigators found was well below the guidelines the General Commission for Taxes issued in 2024. Checking the coordinates and prices for comparable land, they put each donum at about 60 million dinars, roughly two and a half times the committee’s figure.

The sale had also proceeded without the required approvals from the Ramadi Municipality Directorate, the commission said. A field team reviewed records at the State Properties Department, Anbar’s Urban Planning Directorate and the municipality’s city planning section.

The judge handling integrity cases in Anbar suspended the sale, referred the file to the external audit section and ordered statements from legal representatives of the State Properties Department, the Real Estate Registration Directorate in Anbar and the General Commission for Taxes.