“We are now working on these cases to get the final result. The suspects are from all Kurdistan provinces,” said Judge Sedqi Salimkhan. “In the past it was very difficult to investigate a corruption case because the corruption laws were vague, but the new laws are clear,” he explained.
Barzani vowed last month to fight corruption with the same resolve as the Kurdish Peshmerga forces have battled the Islamic State (ISIS) forces since 2014.
According to Salimkhan, some of these cases will soon be decided, while others are complicated and need more time.
Sarbast Lazgin, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said “Barzani is very serious about the investigation. He even told the commission that he would personally publicly announce the names of corrupt (officials) if they are kept undisclosed.”
Lazgin, who is well informed about the investigation process, said some corrupt official have been given lands by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to build companies. But the properties were sold for personal benefit, he explained, without disclosing the names or positions of suspects.
Meanwhile, an interior ministry source told Rudaw that a number of officials from the ministry’s immigration department were arrested Sunday on order of the integrity commission.
"Those arrested include the manager of the Sulaimani Immigration Department who has been charged with wasting money allocated for refugees,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Now, upon the order of the court, those arrested have been released on bail until the day of their trial."
According to a statement issued by the judge, the manager of Sulaimani's Immigration Department is suspended from his position pending the court proceedings.
Last Wednesday the head of the Kurdistan Region's Central Bank, Adham Karim, and his deputy were arrested also on charges of corruption. Karim was taken into custody as part of a probe into an alleged illegal bond trading scheme that may have cost the cash-strapped government more than one billion dollars.
The Kurdistan Region has been suffering financially since mid-2014, following an economic crisis induced by low oil prices, putting renewed focus On corruption in the region.
