Baghdad Lord-Mayoralty uncovers corruption network, run by two of its staff

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Office of Baghdad Lord-Mayoralty has uncovered a corruption network, comprising two of its staff and other accomplices with them, carrying out “corruption, misleading and receiving bribes in millions of US dollars, to pass contracts for its projects, according to the Mayoralty’s media section on Tuesday.   “ Baghdad ’s Lord-Mayor, Sabir al-Issawi, had sent his Staffers, Walid Yahya Idris and Mohammed Saheb Ahmed, to the office of the Inspector-General, for investigation and then transfer them to the Higher Integrity Commission, to take legal action against them and send them for trial to receive their just penalty,” the media section reported.   It pointed out that “Baghdad Lord-Mayor had received important documents, including the signing of two contracts with the Turkish (Ava-Sport) Company for Sport Constructions and Designs, with its Representative in Baghdad, Hoshiar Rashad Yahya, being the First Party and the Second Party of the so-called Haidar Sabah Auda, who claims to represent a consultative and legal mediation party, committing themselves to receive official approvals for a contract, estimated at US$164 millions, to build a sports playground, which they deceived the said Company to achieve the contract after getting a 5 million dollars brokerage commission, and after they get the signatures of two Baghdad Mayoralty staffers, as witnesses on the contract.”   Issawi pointed out, according to the statement, that “the Baghdad Lord-Mayoralty had no intention to build such sports playground, adding that the said “scenario had been fabricated by the said ‘gang,’ to blackmail the said Company,” vowing to follow up any evidence that a Baghdad Mayoralty employee would be discovered to have any relationship with the said case, whatever his post might be, to send him to the Integrity Commission, in order to become an example for anybody, who tries to undermine the State finance and property.”   SKH (FT) 1625