The Commission of Integrity announced today that it was able to seize a major manipulation operation in the northern area of Kirkuk-Erbil, indicating that the operation was carried out in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office for Customs Affairs and under a judicial writ.
While discussing details of seizure operation, Investigation Office pointed out that the Commission’s investigators in the province and in coordination with the representative of Prime Minister for Customs Affairs seized a manipulation and a major change in the customs tariff of agricultural motors (harvesters) imported for the benefit of the Ministry of Agriculture.
A number of customs officers have manipulated the duties of 50 agricultural harvester and lowered fees from 30% to 0.5%, the office stated.
The office staff were able to arrest the customs director and everyone connected with the crime based on article 340 of Penal Code, it pointed out.
Preliminary investigations pointed to bringing of harvesters into Kirkuk without promotion for custom petitions at a time when the rate of fees imposed 30%, and waited for a certain period until issuance of new instructions to reduce fees rate to 0.5%, which causes waste in public money for more than two billion dinars that were prevented.
The accused officials and criminal exhibits, were brought before the competent investigating judge, who decided to detain them under investigation, pursuant to the requirements of judgment.
