Nasiriyah Municipality Director Reportedly Flees After Arrest Warrant Over Corruption Allegations
A security source in Dhi Qar reported on Tuesday evening that Nasiriyah Municipality Director Mohammed Jabbar Dhaif had fled with his cousin to an unknown location after a judicial arrest warrant was issued against them by the province’s Integrity Investigation Court.
According to the source, the warrants were issued over allegations involving financial and administrative corruption. The two suspects had reportedly been absent from work for several days.
The source also said several Dhi Qar lawmakers had threatened to open a case concerning the local government’s handling of the matter, citing the lack of legal action against the municipality director so far. Administrative measures are reportedly underway to end Dhaif’s assignment as director and return him to his original department at the Municipality of Al-Nasr District.
The developments come amid ongoing investigations into suspected corruption at Nasiriyah Municipality. The Integrity Commission had previously announced the seizure of an original allocation document involving the transfer of ownership of 104 high-value properties, with each property estimated at around 100 million Iraqi dinars, amid allegations of manipulation, forgery and violations of regulations.
Nasiriyah’s Integrity Investigation Court has also issued arrest warrants for several municipality employees, with the investigation later expanding to include employees of the Real Estate Registration Department, transaction agents and other individuals allegedly linked to the same case.
In a related development, a security force accompanied by an Integrity Commission team raided the home of the brother of former MP Dawood Al-Eidan and arrested him after allegedly finding dozens of land-allocation transactions and checks inside the residence.
The latest measures coincide with Dhi Qar Governor Haitham Al-Hamdani taking over the administration of Nasiriyah Municipality and introducing a series of administrative changes and dismissals, while the local government has reaffirmed its support for judicial and Integrity Commission efforts to pursue corruption cases.
