Integrity commission arrests eight suspects for bribery, fraud in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Federal Commission of Integrity announced on Wednesday the arrest of six employees from the Revenue Department of Al-Adhamiyah Municipality, Baghdad, including the department head, for accepting bribes. Two additional suspects were detained for fraud and operating without official licenses or legal authorizations.

In a statement, the commission confirmed that eight suspects were apprehended for extortion and bribery-related activities in Baghdad.

A team of investigators from the commission, under the direct supervision of the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court, conducted the operation. “The six employees from the Revenue Department were caught red-handed accepting bribes from a citizen,” the statement revealed.

The suspects allegedly misled the individual into believing they had the authority to close his pharmacy and restaurant, despite lacking any legal basis for such actions.

The operation allegedly also uncovered accounting records, receipt books, and documents stamped with the Al-Adhamiyah Municipality seal. These materials were reportedly used to extort local business owners under the pretext of issuing warnings.

In a separate case, the commission, acting on orders from the Investigative Court for Integrity Cases in Al-Rusafa, detained two individuals affiliated with companies promoting loan and advance applications for military personnel and retirees. The companies allegedly charged applicants fees despite lacking official licenses or legal authorization to operate.