On Monday, the Federal Integrity Commission reported that two government officials convicted of financial corruption and who fled to the Sultanate of Oman have been apprehended with the cooperation of Omani authorities and Interpol.
According to a statement received by the Shafaq News agency from the recovery department of the authority, two convicts have been identified. One of them was previously the Director General of Urban Planning in the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and Public Works, while the other was the former Director General of the Anbar Agriculture Department.
According to a bulletin from the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, it has been reported that the individuals in question were detained within the jurisdiction of the Sultanate of Oman. This was based on international arrest warrants and recovery files that were compiled by the department in collaboration with the appropriate courts.
According to her, the Recovery Department’s team, along with a security detachment from Interpol, received the convicts this morning at Baghdad International Airport. The convicts were involved in cases of job position abuse, willful damage to state funds, and illegal appropriation of them in Muscat. They will be handed over to the judicial authorities to receive their just punishment.
The department stated that the two prisoners had been previously convicted by Iraqi judicial authorities through decisions issued by the Central Anti-Corruption and Anbar Criminal Courts while they were absent. These decisions were based on the provisions stated in Articles 316 and 340 of the Penal Code.
The department expressed gratitude for the efforts of the competent authorities in Oman who cooperated and coordinated with Iraqi officials to arrest and extradite the convicted criminals. They emphasized their determination to pursue corrupt fugitives and collaborate with other countries to prevent them from finding safe havens.
According to a radio search, the convicts were apprehended in the territory of the Sultanate of Oman. They were arrested based on an international warrant requested by the Iraqi judicial authorities and organized by the Recovery Department. Thanks to the quick organization of the recovery files, the process was successful.
The Integrity Commission’s head, Judge Haider Hanoun, and Oman’s Financial and Administrative Control Authority’s leader, Sheikh Ghosn bin Hilal Al-Alawi, came to a preliminary agreement on February 23. The agreement pertains to a memorandum of understanding that they plan to finalize. The memorandum relates to combating corruption, exchanging information, and conducting investigations on defendants who are wanted by the court. Also, it aims to recover money that was smuggled abroad due to corrupt activities.
