The anti-corruption committee said in a statement published by state media (INA) that after reviewing the reports of the external audit department and appointed experts it has “detected manipulation in the monthly operation records of the Italian company operating in the al-Garraf oil field...resulting in a waste of more than (10) million dollars of public funds," without naming the company operating on the field.
The al-Gharraf oil field is located near the al-Rifai district of Dhi Qar province, it has a reserve of over $7 billion barrels of oil and produces up to 100,000 barrels per day.
The statement did not elaborate on whether arrest warrants have been issued against those involved.
Rampant corruption plagues all levels of the Iraqi state, and official figures published last year estimated that well over 400 billion dollars have gone missing from state coffers since former dictator Saddam Hussein's regime was overthrown in 2003.
Iraq ranks 154 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2023 corruption perceptions index.
The Iraqi cabinet in October approved the Right to Information bill and submitted the draft to the parliament for consideration. The bill aims to promote transparency in the government’s work by granting citizens the right to request access to state documents and information.
In September, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said during a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York that the fight against endemic corruption in Iraq, long plagued by a myriad of conflicts and wars, remains the government’s foremost priority.
“Identifying and combatting corruption has been our foremost priority. We have taken measures to pursue individuals involved in corruption, regardless of their positions or affiliations, and handed them over to the judiciary for accountability,” Sudani told the UN.
