Nineveh governorate council, Mosul Iraq, 2018. Photo: RFE/RL
MOSUL,— The Iraqi Commission of Integrity has revealed that nearly $60 million of public money was stolen by officials in Nineveh province who were close to former governor Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan.
The Commission said in a statement on Monday that officials at the governorate’s Diwan are accused of taking the money and misusing public revenue.
“The money [was allocated for] the restoration of stability in the governorate,” the statement read.
On April 11, the Commission announced that it had arrested fourteen employees from Nineveh province’s Diwan on charges of embezzlement.
Sultan’s downfall was triggered by the capsize of a ferry on March 21 that was carrying families to a recreation spot on an island in the Tigris River north of Mosul. 116 people died, mostly women and children who did not know how to swim.
Several days later, the Council of Representatives voted to sack Sultan and two deputies following a request from Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
A court in Nineveh governorate has issued an arrest warrant for Sultan on corruption and other charges stemming from the ongoing investigation into the ferry disaster.
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