Four Diwaniyah state employees held, 30 more suspects identified in property fraud case

DIWANIYAH — Four employees of a government institution in Diwaniyah have been arrested on allegations of illegally manipulating property records and land use, and 30 more suspects have been identified, most of whom are now in custody, Iraq’s National Security Service said Monday.

The arrests followed intelligence gathering and field investigations under judicial orders, the service said, and officers seized official documents, inspection reports, ownership declarations, property records and official maps. Preliminary investigations identified the 30 other suspects, and judges issued arrest warrants under various legal provisions. Security forces are searching for the rest, and legal proceedings have begun against those detained, it said. The service did not name the institution.

Property fraud has produced more than a dozen cases across the country in recent months. The National Security Service arrested 61 people in Muthanna on Aug. 28 over more than 90 forged land transactions, and 13 people were arrested in Diwaniyah earlier this year over falsified papers used to obtain loans and land. On Sunday, the deputy director of the Tikrit Real Estate Registration Office and an employee were sentenced to four years in prison over an illegal property transfer.