Samawah Municipality and Muthanna sewerage: IQD 35.8 billion of collection receipts paid out and taken according to the auditors, undervalued leases and overpriced sewer networks (from 2020 to 2025)
On 30 June 2025 the Integrity Commission said six employees of the Samawah Municipality Directorate, among them the accounts director and the heads of the audit and archive sections, had been arrested under Article 315 of the Penal Code. According to a report of the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, they had paid out and taken IQD 35,834,183,810 by manipulating collection receipts from 2020 to 2023. Earlier findings concerned the same directorate: IQD 2.95 billion of its trust balance spent in one day in September 2022; one year in prison in May 2023 for the head of the revenue section, who was ordered to repay IQD 399.3 million of illicit gain; summonses in September 2023 for a former director and the land committee over a 25-year lease valued far below the market; and an arrest warrant in June 2024 for a former collection official over altered receipts. In August and September 2024 the Commission reported overpricing of more than IQD 16 billion in sewer network projects in four Muthanna districts given to public companies.
- Period
- From 2015 to June 2025
- Sector
- Local government and reconstructionMunicipal revenue and accounts (Samawah) and sewerage projects (Muthanna)
- Kind of case
- Criminal prosecution
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved
Collection receipts altered and revenue not paid into the treasury, a trust balance spent outside the law, state property leased far below its value, and inflated cost estimates for sewer networks, according to the Integrity Commission and the Board of Supreme Audit.
What happened
Six employees detained (June 2025). Head of the revenue section: one year, repayment of IQD 399.3 million and an equal fine (May 2023). Former director and land committee: summoned (September 2023). Former collection official: arrest warrant (June 2024). Sewer projects: referred to the Muthanna investigation judge (2024). No trial result for the IQD 35.8 billion case was found as of 19 October 2026.
Open questions
- Names of the six employees and result of their trial.
- How much of the IQD 35.8 billion has been recovered.
- Which public companies carried out the sewer projects and who prepared the cost estimates.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head of the revenue section, Samawah Municipality Directorate (unnamed) مسؤول شعبة الواردات في مديرية بلدية السماوة (لم يُذكر اسمه) | Head of the revenue section, Samawah Municipality Directorate | Convicted (reported) | The Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court in Karkh sentenced him in person to one year's simple imprisonment for illicit enrichment under Article 19 of Law No. 30 of 2011, and ordered him to repay IQD 399,300,800 (two properties in Muthanna, a Tahoe and a Sorento car and a bank account at Rasheed Bank) plus an equal fine (Integrity Commission statement, 18 May 2023). Not named. | 19 October 2026 |
| Former collection official of the Samawah Municipality (unnamed) مسؤول الجباية السابق في بلدية السماوة (لم يُذكر اسمه) | Collection official, Samawah Municipality Directorate (former) | Charged or wanted | The Muthanna integrity investigation judge issued an arrest warrant under Article 315 in June 2024 after the Integrity Commission found that he had entered lower sums on the carbon copies of collection receipts than citizens paid, with a loss of IQD 198,920,467; the accounts and internal audit officials were summoned (Integrity Commission statement, 14 June 2024). Not named. | 19 October 2026 |
| Six employees of the Samawah Municipality Directorate, including the accounts director and the heads of the audit and archive sections (unnamed) ستة موظفين في مديرية بلدية السماوة بينهم مدير الحسابات ومسؤولا شعبتي التدقيق والأرشيف (لم تُذكر أسماؤهم) | Accounts director and staff of the Samawah Municipality Directorate | Arrested | Arrested on 30 June 2025 under a warrant based on Article 315 of the Penal Code and detained by the Muthanna integrity investigation judge. The Integrity Commission said they had manipulated collection receipts for revenue and expenditure from 2020 to 2023 and paid out and taken IQD 35,834,183,810, according to a report of the Board of Supreme Audit (Seventh Region). Not named. | 19 October 2026 |
| Former director of the Samawah Municipality and five other members of its land allocation committee (unnamed) مدير بلدية السماوة السابق وخمسة أعضاء آخرون في لجنة تخصيص الأراضي (لم تُذكر أسماؤهم) | Members of the land allocation committee, including the former director and the head of the property section | Under investigation | The Muthanna integrity investigation judge summoned the six in September 2023 over a plot allocated against the law and a 25-year lease (musataha) that the municipality's valuation committee priced at IQD 4,250,000, causing a loss of IQD 1,768,075,600 (Integrity Commission statement relayed by 964, 3 September 2023). Not named; no later step is on record. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- Baghdad Today20 November 2022Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة تكشف التصرف بــ3 مليارات دينار من رصيد أمانات بلدية السماوة خلافاً للقانون
Original addressتم التصرف بمبلغ ملياري دينار وتسعمائة واربع وخمسين من الرصيد خلال اليوم
- Baghdad Today18 May 2023Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: الحكم بحبس مسؤول في بلدية السماوة بتهمة تضخم الأموال والكسب غير المشروع
Original addressبادانة مسؤول شعبة الواردات في مديريَّة بلديَّة السماوة التابعة لوزارة الإعمار والإسكان والبلديَّات العامة يقضي بالحبس البسيط سنة واحدة؛ على خلفيَّة تضخم في الأموال والكسب غير المشروع ". وتابعت، أن
- 9643 September 2023Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
استقدام مدير بلدية السماوة السابق و5 متهمين بهدر نحو ملياري دينار في عقد مساطحة
Original addressأصدر قاضي محكمة تحقيق النزاهة في المثنى أمر استقدام بحقّ أعضاء اللجنة البالغ عددهم (6) مُتَّهمين، من بينهم مُدير بلديَّة السماوة السابق
- Baghdad Today21 September 2023Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة ترصد هدر 2.3 ملياري دينار من المال العام في بلدية السماوة
Original addressمُديريَّة بلديَّة السماوة تسبَّبت بهدر مبلغ (2,319,525,000) مليارين وثلاثمائةٍ وتسعة عشر مليون دينارٍ من
- Baghdad Today14 June 2024Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: صدور أمر قبض واستقدام بحق ثلاثة مسؤولين في بلدية السماوة
Original addressأصدر أمر قبضٍ وتحرٍّ بحق المُتَّهم مسؤول الجباية السابق في بلديَّة السماوة، إضافةً إلى استقدام مسؤولي الحسابات والرقابة
- 96418 August 2024Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة ترصد هدر 12 مليار دينار بمشاريع مجاري المثنى
Original addressبمشاريع إنشاء شبكات مجاري لثلاثة أقضيةٍ في محافظة المثنى، بلغ مجموع الهدر فيها أكثر من (12) مليار دينار.
- 96414 September 2024Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
نزاهة المثنى تكشف مغالاة في إنشاء شبكات مجاري بقيمة 18 مليار دينار
Original addressأفاد أنَّ الفريق كشف خروقاتٍ ماليَّة في المشروع الذي تبلغ كلفته (18,154,299,000) ثمانية عشر مليار دينار.
- 96430 June 2025Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: تنفيذ أمر قبض لـ6 موظفين في بلدية السماوة اختلسوا 36 مليار دينار
Original addressوذلك لقيامهم بصرف واختلاس مبالغ قدرها (35,834,183,810) خمسة وثلاثون مليار دينارٍ بصورةٍ غير قانونيَّةٍ حسب تقرير ديوان الرقابة
- Non1430 June 2025Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
اختلاس 36 ملياراً.. النزاهة تعتقل 6 موظفين في بلدية السماوة
Original addressومن بينهم مدير الحسابات ومسؤولا شعبة التدقيق والأرشيف في البلديَّة، أقدموا على التلاعب بعمليَّة صرف وصولات جباية الإيرادات والمصروفات الخاصَّة بالبلديَّة للمُدَّة من العام