On Tuesday, the Federal Integrity Commission restored ownership of three real estate properties in Kirkuk Province to the state. The total value of the three properties is estimated to be more than $38,64 million.
In a statement, the Investigation Office of the Integrity Commission said that it “has sequestered cases of violations on a property owned by the Kirkuk Municipality, on parts of which individuals had built commercial stores and rented them to others."
The real estate has a surface of 22.8 hectares and is worth about $22.7 million.
In another case, a parcel of 9.5 hectares worth about $12.6, belonging to the municipality was fenced off to be sold illegally.
In a third operation, a defendant was seized while constructing a residential house on a property of an area of 5 dunams, with a value of more than four billion dinars, noting that “the property is included in the archaeological hill and is considered a forbidden building upon which it is not permitted.
The third case, according to the statement, was of an individual constructing a residential house on a 0.5 hectares property belonging to the municipality worth $3.36 million and located on the archaeological hill of Kirkuk, which if prohibited to be built upon.
The individual has been detained by a court order.
On 23 July, under instructions of the Integrity Commission, warrants were issued by Kirkuk Court for the arrest of a number of officials in the province on corruption charges involving Project Saqar Kirkuk (or ‘Project Kirkuk Eagle’).
And in another case the Integrity Commission has ordered the arrest of several Kirkuk officials, including the head of Kirkuk Education Department, on different charges.
