Iraq arrests five education officials over fake purchase receipts

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity on Tuesday arrested five employees at the General Directorate of Education in Nineveh province over alleged manipulation of purchase receipts and the submission of fictitious receipts in procurement transactions.

In a statement, the commission said an investigative team from its Nineveh Directorate traveled to the provincial education directorate after receiving information about suspected tampering and forgery involving purchase receipts issued by one of its departments.

The investigators seized all related purchase transactions for legal review, the commission said, noting that auditing and investigative work was continuing to “determine the amount of public money wasted through procurement transactions supported by fictitious receipts.”

The commission also said it had prepared an official seizure report under Article 340 of Iraq's Penal Code and submitted it, along with the suspects and evidence, to the relevant integrity judge at the Nineveh Investigation Court.

The judge ordered the detention of all five suspects pending investigation. 

Separately, a security source in Nineveh told Shafaq News that one of those arrested was the former director of educational media at the provincial education directorate.