Iraqi judiciary sentences two former governors to jail for corruption

The Integrity Commission  – an independent body responsible for investigating corruption and is affiliated to the Iraqi parliament – stated, Wednesday, that the judiciary has sentenced two former governors to jail for after being found guilty of corruption.

The criminal court in the province of Diyala (East) sentenced the former governor Abdel Nasser al-Mahdawi for seven years, in absentia, for “violating the rules of conducting contracts without any legal justification” according to the statement.

Al-Mahdawi was also convicted of “concluding a contract with a Turkish company to operate in the city of Baqubah (Diyala center) and instructing the director of Baqubah Municipality to use the machines of the Directorate to work with this company, in addition to signing the report of the technical committee without taking the legal restrictions into consideration, which led to a mismanagement of public funds.”

The court also sentenced the former governor of Diyala Omar al-Humeiri to six years of jail for “committing legal violations in the execution of the project which was meant to equip the state departments in the province with furniture and for mismanaging public funds.”

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Al-Humeiri was also convicted of “failing to form a cost review and management committee, shutting his eyes to the project’s estimated costs, and not taking into account the legal terms for declaration and referral.”

The Commission statement indicated that “the court has ordered the confiscation of their movable and immovable property and to guarantee the right to claim compensation for those who were affected once the judgment becomes final and enforceable.”

The ruling, it is to be noted, is just preliminary sentence, and it can be appealed in court.

In February 2012, al-Mahdawi, a member of the Islamic Sunni party, resigned from his office because of disagreements with the federal government over the administration of the security file. He was later accused by the judiciary of being involved in corruption and has probably fled the country.

In January 2014, Diyala Provincial Council dismissed al-Humeiri (who also belonged to the Islamic Party) from office.

In December 2013, the judiciary issued an arrest warrant against al-Humeiri, according to Article 340 of the Iraqi Penal Code for mismanagement of public funds.