Baghdad – INA
The Supreme Judicial Council-SJC on Sunday instructed investigative courts to take stricter legal measures against individuals’ violating the electricity network.
In a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), SJC said it held its sixth session earlier in the day, chaired by the head of the Federal Court of Cassation, Judge Faiq Zidan.
During the session, the council also paid tribute to the late Judge Hijab Ibrahim Ahmed, a member of the Federal Court of Cassation, and retired Judge Baraq Ibrahim Wasfi, both of whom had recently passed away.
It added that “a number of judges were promoted and new assignments were approved in several appellate court presidencies, based on the requirements of the public interest.”
The council also discussed, according to the statement, a letter from the Ministry of Electricity regarding encroachments on the power grid. It directed the competent investigative courts to take stringent legal action, noting that the offence of tampering with the electricity network falls under Article 444/11 of the Penal Code as theft of public property.
It added that assaults on Ministry of Electricity teams tasked with removing such violations constitute a criminal offence under Articles 229 and 230 of the Penal Code, and stressed the need to curb such acts through the prosecution of offenders.