Latest news with #CommissionofIntegrity
Kuwait Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Six local officials detained over Iraq deadly mall fire
NAJAF: Iraqis mourn the victims of a shopping mall fire in the city of Kut, during their funeral at the Imam Ali Shrine in Iraq's central holy city of Najaf.-- AFP BAGHDAD: Iraq has detained six local officials and suspended other public employees following a fire that killed 61 people at a shopping mall earlier this week, authorities said Saturday. The blaze, which broke out late Wednesday in a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern city of Kut, is the latest fatal disaster in a country where safety regulations are often ignored. After an initial investigation, the interior ministry said 'there was clear negligence among several officials and employees' in Kut, located around 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. It added that three local officials, including the head of civil defense in Kut, had been detained, and 17 employees suspended from work until further notice. The Commission of Integrity, an anti-graft body, said later that security forces had detained three more officials 'over the violations that led to the fire' at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, including the head of the violations department at Kut's municipality. Officials say their investigation is ongoing, and the number of detainees may change. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often ignored, and the country—its infrastructure weakened by decades of conflict—frequently experiences fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). The cause of the mall fire was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded on the second floor before the five-storey building was rapidly engulfed in flames. Several people told AFP they lost family members—and in some cases whole families—who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened. – AFP
Al Arabiya
19-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Six officials detained over deadly mall fire in Iraq
Iraq has detained six local officials and suspended other public employees following a fire that killed 61 people at a shopping mall earlier this week, authorities said Saturday. The blaze, which broke out late Wednesday in a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern city of Kut, is the latest fatal disaster in a country where safety regulations are often ignored. After an initial investigation, the interior ministry said 'there was clear negligence among several officials and employees' in Kut, located around 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. It added that three local officials, including the head of civil defense in Kut, had been detained, and 17 employees suspended from work until further notice. The Commission of Integrity, an anti-graft body, said later that security forces had detained three more officials 'over the violations that led to the fire' at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, including the head of the violations department at Kut's municipality. Officials say their investigation is ongoing, and the number of detainees may change. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often ignored, and the country -- its infrastructure weakened by decades of conflict -- frequently experiences fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). The cause of the mall fire was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded on the second floor before the five-story building was rapidly engulfed in flames. Several people told AFP they lost family members -- and in some cases whole families -- who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened.
Arab News
19-07-2025
- Arab News
Six local officials detained over Iraq deadly mall fire
BAGHDAD: Iraq has detained six local officials and suspended other public employees following a fire that killed 61 people at a shopping mall earlier this week, authorities said Saturday. The blaze, which broke out late Wednesday in a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern city of Kut, is the latest fatal disaster in a country where safety regulations are often ignored. After an initial investigation, the interior ministry said 'there was clear negligence among several officials and employees' in Kut, located around 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. It added that three local officials, including the head of civil defense in Kut, had been detained, and 17 employees suspended from work until further notice. The Commission of Integrity, an anti-graft body, said later that security forces had detained three more officials 'over the violations that led to the fire' at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, including the head of the violations department at Kut's municipality. Officials say their investigation is ongoing, and the number of detainees may change. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often ignored, and the country — its infrastructure weakened by decades of conflict — frequently experiences fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). The cause of the mall fire was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded on the second floor before the five-story building was rapidly engulfed in flames. Several people told AFP they lost family members — and in some cases whole families — who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened.
Iraqi News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
PM: Intensified efforts and prevent the misuse of state resources in elections
PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani met on Saturday with the Chairman of the Commission of Integrity, Muhammed Ali Al-Lami. The meeting reviewed the Commission of Integrity's procedures for monitoring the integrity of the election process and preventing the misuse of state resources to ensure that the results genuinely reflect the will of the Iraqi people, according to a statement by the PM Media Office - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA. Al-Sudani emphasized the need "to intensify efforts and affirmed that no political party should be permitted to exploit state resources for election purposes." He called for "enhanced cooperation and coordination between the Commission of Integrity, the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, and the Independent High Electoral Commission to guarantee transparency and integrity in the upcoming elections." The Chairman of the Commission of Integrity noted that "a comprehensive study had been prepared and that specialized teams had been formed to prevent the exploitation of state resources during the election race and to ensure fair competition among all candidates."
Iraq Business
14-05-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Iraq Dinar Fraud: $8.4m Recovered
By John Lee. The Iraqi Judiciary has recovered 11 billion dinars [$8.4 million] following a financial fraud case involving a company that illegally profited from currency exchange rate differences through fraudulent overseas money transfers. According to a statement from Iraq's Commission of Integrity, the recovery was led by the Second Karkh Investigation Court, under the supervision of the court's chief judge. It says efforts are ongoing to pursue other companies involved in similar illegal practices. (Source: Commission of Integrity)
