ShafaqNews- Baghdad
Iraq'sMinistry of Transport suspended eight senior Iraqi Airways officials on Sundayas authorities investigate the disappearance of 16 billion Iraqi dinars($12.2M) from the state-owned carrier's accounts.
Anofficial document showed that Transport Minister Wahab Salman al-Hassaniordered the suspensions under Iraq's State Employees Discipline Law, pendingthe outcome of the investigation.
Thoseaffected include Muthanna Mohammed Hashoush, commercial director; Abbas TaamaAwad, former legal director; Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed, contracts director;Iyass Saadi Musajjal, former finance director; Zainab Mohammed Abdul Redha,head of the revenue audit section; Muayyad Ibrahim Ubaid of the legaldepartment; Hanan Khazal Faraj of the branch accounts department; and HaiderHusni Alwan, head of the fuel section.
A sourcefamiliar with the matter told Shafaq News that the move was intended to allowinvestigators to complete their inquiry into the missing funds withoutinterference.
Earlieron Sunday, another source indicated that Iraq's Anti-Corruption Committee ispreparing a list of about 127 people suspected of amassing wealth throughillicit property purchases and overseas investments made with public funds, aspart of the ongoing "Dawn Crackdown" (Sawlat Al-Fajr), a nationwideanti-corruption campaign launched on June 28 under the directive of PrimeMinister Ali Al-Zaidi.
Thecampaign has led to the arrest of 67 officials, with the number of suspectsexpected to exceed 200.
