ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court sentenced two lawmakers to seven years each in prison for “illicit enrichment,” the Federal Commission of Integrity (FCoI) announced on Wednesday, amid an ongoing anti-corruption crackdown. “The Federal Commission of Integrity announced the issuance of a seven-year prison sentence against Member of Parliament (Alia Nassif Jassim) for the crime of illicit enrichment,” FCoI posted on Facebook, obligating her to “return over (61) billion [Iraqi] dinars [($46.5 million)] representing the value of the illicit enrichment, along with a financial fine equal to that value.” The case is part of a broader anti-corruption campaign in Iraq, with courts increasingly pursuing current and former officials over alleged financial crimes. Launched in late June under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Operation Dawn has led to arrests and prosecutions of officials, lawmakers and other senior public sector figures, according to Iraqi authorities. In a separate post on Facebook, the FCoI announced a ruling sentencing another member of parliament, Ashwaq Salem Hassan, to seven years and ordered her to return 2.11 billion dinars ($1.6 million) and $2.92 million, in addition to a fine equal to the alleged illicit gains. The court also handed both lawmakers separate three-year sentences for “concealing information” in their financial disclosure forms, according to the commission. It applied the heavier seven-year sentence and “upheld the seizure of their movable and immovable assets.” The rulings also allow the Commission of Integrity to seek compensation for damages once the judgments become final, the commission said. Nassif is a longtime Iraqi lawmaker who has served in parliament since 2010 and has been a prominent voice on corruption and public spending issues. She was arrested during the anti-corruption campaign launched in late June. The latest convictions follow similar rulings announced by the commission in August against a former deputy oil minister and a former lawmaker, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly. He was sentenced to seven years in late August and ordered to return 4.73 billion dinars ($3.6 million) and $16.5 million in alleged illicit gains. Former member of parliament Talal al-Zobaie was arrested in mid-July and also received a seven-year sentence. He was ordered to return 5.54 billion dinars ($4.2 million) and $22.17 million, according to the FCoI at the time.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
