Shafaq News- Baghdad
Fraudsters are exploiting thecorruption case involving former Oil Ministry Undersecretary Adnan Al-Jumailito extort businesspeople by falsely telling them their names appear in theinvestigation, Diaa Jaafar, an investigating judge at Iraq's Central CriminalCourt for Combating Corruption, warned on Friday.
Jaafar revealed thatindividuals linked to official and unofficial entities had been contactingbusinesspeople, alleging they were implicated alongside the detained Al-Jumailiand others before demanding money. He urged citizens, particularly businesspeople,to disregard such claims, refuse any form of blackmail, and report theincidents directly to the court.
Jaafar also pointed totelevision interviews and recordings in which guests on several satellitechannels discussed claimed details of the inquiry, dismissing the informationas inaccurate and unrelated to the judicial process. “The court will takeaction against anyone attempting to misuse the case or obstruct the work of thejudiciary and anti-corruption authorities.”
The judge had disclosed lastweek that the inquiry had uncovered the alleged involvement of severallawmakers in using state resources for election campaigning and benefiting fromgovernment contracts. Several members of parliament, he noted, had already beendetained and indicated that additional political figures and other individualscould also face prosecution.
Iraqi authorities launched thenationwide “Dawn Crackdown” anti-corruption campaign on June 28 under PrimeMinister Ali Al-Zaidi. A security source previously told Shafaq News that morethan 67 people were detained during the first 24 hours, while another source saidthe initial phase is expected to target more than 200 current and formerofficials, politicians, business owners, and other individuals.
: Iraq detains top officials in anti-corruption sweep: What we know so far
