Kurdish Integrity Commission: 21 Cases Under Review

By Simon Kent.

According to Judge Sedqi Salimkhan, the Integrity Commission of the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI) is reviewing 21 corruption cases including an official from the Sulaimani Immigration Department who has been accused of spending funds intended for internally displaced people (refugees.)

The anti-corruption initiative is part of a wave of reforms that Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (pictured) is trying to implement in the wake of the Baghdad-Erbil budget dispute and the collapse in the price of oil.

Other reforms include public servant wage reductions and the slashing of politicians' salaries.  The current investigations come after an official from the Iraqi Central Bank was arrested in Erbil following allegations of stealing funds.

(Source: Rudaw.)