Corruption allegations: PUK accused of “unfair” deal in Al-Sulaymaniyah, gaining $25M land for $1M bridge
Shafaq News/ Al-Mawqif movementsparked widespread controversy after accusing a company affiliated with thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of benefiting from an "unfairdeal" in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region.
The deal involved building a $1million bridge in exchange for the company receiving land valued between $25million and $30 million.
In a statement on his Facebook page,the movement head, Ali Hama Salih sent a direct message to Al-SulaymaniyahGovernor Haval Abu Bakr and local authorities, accusing the PUK of “exploitingits influence to seize public land at low prices.”
He explained that the companyacquired a large plot of land in Al-Sulaymaniyah industrial zone, calling thedeal "unfair and a prime example of financial and administrativecorruption.”
“The land, which will be sold underthe Law on the Sale and Lease of State Assets and Property, is valued between$25 million and $30 million,” Saleh added. “The PUK holds near-total controlover the city's resources and assets.”
Despite his strong criticism of thedeal, Salih acknowledged that the situation in Al-Sulaymaniyah is relativelybetter compared to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, where “land isgranted without any projects being implemented.”
