At a Glance

• Two officials from the Nasiriyah Municipality Directorate have been arrested.

• The Federal Integrity Commission says the operation followed a bribery demand.

• The money was requested in exchange for taking no action against a building violation.

The Federal Integrity Commission has arrested two officials working in the Nasiriyah Municipality Directorate over bribery demands after a sting operation caught the main suspect red-handed.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• On the Suspect's Deception: The suspect misled the citizen into believing a fine had been imposed on him for encroaching on public property. — Federal Integrity Commission.

• On the Arrests: The suspect was caught in the act after a tight sting operation was set up by the investigation team. — Federal Integrity Commission.

• Focus Area: The arrest of municipal officials in Nasiriyah accused of soliciting a bribe over an alleged building violation.

The Commission said an investigation team from the Dhi Qar Investigation Office was dispatched to the Nasiriyah Municipality Directorate and caught the head of the Encroachment Department in one of its divisions after he solicited money from a citizen.

To let construction proceed without interference, he demanded a bribe, and later confessed that his division director was conspiring with him to split the proceeds.

Both suspects, along with a third municipal employee detained under a judicial warrant, were brought before the judge of the Dhi Qar Integrity Investigation Court. The judge ordered them remanded in custody under Decree No. 160 of 1983, which amended the Iraqi Penal Code.

FYI

Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission is the country's main anti-corruption body, investigating bribery and misuse of public funds across state institutions.

Sting operations like this one, in which suspects are caught while receiving money, are a common method used by the Commission, and cases are referred to specialized integrity courts.

Illegal construction on public land is a recurring issue in Iraqi cities, and municipal departments tasked with enforcement have at times been targeted in corruption investigations.

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