By John Lee.
Four senior officials at the Diyala Electricity Distribution Directorate have been arrested and referred to the courts over the theft and embezzlement of electrical materials worth approximately IQD 1.7 billion (USD 1.34 million).
According to the Federal Commission of Integrity, a team from its Diyala office, under the direct supervision of Commission President Dr Mohammed Ali al-Lami, conducted an operation at the directorate and found that the officials had removed electrical materials from the directorate's warehouses without proper procedure. Warehouse custodians confirmed that none of the materials had been received or recorded.
The operation, carried out under a judicial warrant, resulted in the seizure of:
- Original and carbon-copy disbursement documents
- Exit papers and disbursement memos related to the case
Investigators found that the accused had prepared irregular disbursement documents, had them stamped by the directorate's internal oversight unit, and retained copies between two of the defendants. Standard procedure requires incoming materials to be registered via a transfer document signed by the warehouse custodian and entered into the inventory accounts unit.
The investigating judge at the Baquba Integrity Court ordered the detention of all four suspects under Article 316 of the Penal Code, with investigations continuing.
(Source: Federal Commission of Integrity)
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