The Kirkuk governor has ordered a new investigation into the case of a police officer who was killed in a run-over accident by a police vehicle. Meanwhile, the officer's mother says the case was skewed in favor of the police patrol, placing 70 percent of the responsibility for the accident on her son, "which contradicts what was captured by surveillance cameras."
Mustafa Mardan, a newly graduated officer with the rank of first lieutenant, was tragically run over by a police patrol vehicle on Kirkuk University Street on the night of October 9, 2024, as he was returning home, resulting in his immediate death.
The Kirkuk Traffic Department's report placed 30 percent of the responsibility for the accident on the police patrol and 70 percent on the officer, according to Ghada Ali Abdul-Jabbar, Mustafa's mother.
She expressed her dissatisfaction with the content of the report, believing that the course of the case was manipulated to benefit the police patrol.
The driver of the police vehicle and all members of the patrol involved in the run-over accident were released on bail a month after the incident, based on the traffic police report.
"The case has been stalled for five months, and each time the court session is postponed. Mustafa's father has lost patience and is constantly visiting the court, the police, and the Traffic Directorate, to no avail," Mustafa’s mother said.
Following this, on March 18, Ghada and Mustafa Mardan's family approached the Kirkuk Governor, Rebwar Taha.
"We requested the formation of another investigation committee, and he agreed to our request," Ghada said.
In a clarification of the case on the same day Mustafa Mardan's family visited the governorate office, the Kirkuk governor emphasized that he had assigned the legal department to follow up on the case and directed the Kirkuk police to reinvestigate the case and review the traffic map and evidence. He also emphasized the need to "expedite the referral of the case documents to the court."
The northern, oil-rich, ethnically mixed province of Kirkuk is home to about 1.77 million Kurds, Turkmen, and Arabs. Located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, it has long been at the center of disputes between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
While the case has not been resolved between the police and the court, the family of the police patrol driver asked Mustafa Mardan's relatives to resolve the matter through tribal reconciliation outside the courts, proposing a payment of 12 million Iraqi dinars (USD8,000).
"We absolutely do not accept. The court must issue its decision. I will not bargain over my son's fingernail for all the money in the world." She indicated that their treatment and the manner in which they spoke "were not acceptable."
Kirkuk Traffic Police Spokesman Colonel Amer Nariman told KirkukNow regarding the incident that the traffic detachment had fulfilled its duty regarding mapping the accident site and referred the case to the Kirkuk police and the court.
"The case is no longer with us," he said, without disclosing details of the traffic mapping.
An informed source in the Kirkuk Governorate office, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly, told KirkukNow, "The governor, out of respect for the feelings of the martyr Mustafa's mother, and given that the investigations placed a large portion of the blame on Mustafa Mardan, requested a new investigation."
After visiting the Kirkuk governorate, Mustafa Mardan's family conveyed their complaints about the course of the investigation on March 19 to the Turkmen member of the Iraqi parliament, Gharib Askar.
Askar's office stressed in a statement that surveillance cameras and initial reports showed that "the police patrol was speeding excessively, and then the course of the case was changed, as the traffic authorities issued a different statement."
He attached a photo of himself holding a tablet and examining the incident in the statement.
"Deputy Askar is intensively communicating with the relevant authorities in Kirkuk and Baghdad to ensure that the family of the deceased receives all their rights," the statement said.
Mardan recently graduated from the Police College and got engaged. His mother stressed, via KirkukNow, her determination to obtain justice for her son through the law.
Kirkuk Emergency Police Director Issam Mohammed told KirkukNow that a police patrol had indeed run over Mustafa Mardan, noting that the driver and the rest of the patrol were arrested after the accident.
"It is known that the investigation into the traffic accident is based on traffic police investigations, which revealed that the deceased, Mustafa Mardan, wanted to cross an area where there was a pedestrian bridge, but he did not use the bridge."
According to Mohammed, the Kirkuk Traffic Police report indicated that "Mustafa crossed the street quickly and ran in front of the vehicle."
Mustafa Mardan wanted to cross the street in an area where there was a pedestrian bridge, but he did not use it
However, Mustafa's mother says, "We reviewed the surveillance cameras. What we saw contradicted the results of the traffic police investigation. It turned out that the rescue vehicle ran over my son before he crossed the fence, throwing him 15 meters away, where he died instantly."
The Kirkuk Emergency Police Director said, "When the traffic police held Mustafa Mardan 70 percent responsible for the accident, and after the judge released the detainees on bail, Mustafa Mardan's family decided to challenge the validity of the investigations, arguing that their son had been wronged."
Although the Kirkuk Emergency Police Director says that the results of the investigations by all the committees formed to investigate the accident were similar, Ghada Ali insists that "the three parties (traffic, police, and emergency) are obstructing the resolution of my son's case. The committees are composed of the same people, so they issue the same decisions. We do not trust their investigations because they are unfair."
The director of the emergency police said, "They have the right to request a reinvestigation of the incident. Their son is also our son. Efforts to resolve the case through tribal channels have been unsuccessful. Mustafa Mardan's family is requesting 25 million dinars, but the police patrol has only been able to collect 17 million dinars so far."
"The case is still in court. In fact, it has become two cases, one civil and one military... Even if they resolve the case through tribal channels and Mustafa Mardan's family withdraws their lawsuit, the emergency police patrol members will be punished to uphold public rights," he added.
