KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region – Kirkuk’s Provincial Council has filed several cases of corruption against the local government, alleging it handed out major water, electricity and other projects to single or unqualified bidders and charged millions in overinflated costs.

The cases are being investigated by Iraq’s Transparency Commission or in the courts, said the council member, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said the council had filed evidence of irregularities in several major projects, including the Southern Kirkuk water project, a power station, surveillance cameras for Kirkuk City, a new building for the governor’s office and vehicles for officials.

“These cases were filed by the provincial council against the administration of the Kirkuk governorate,” the councilman said.

In multi-ethnic Kirkuk’s complex government the top post is held by Governor Najmaldin Karim, a Kurd. The council says projects cannot be finalized without its scrutiny, and complains that it was not consulted about them.

The councilman said that experts had determined that the cameras project should have cost $9 million. The contract signed by the local government – with an Austrian company without bidding -- placed the cost at nearly $16 million.

Likewise, the costs of a new building for the local government are overinflated, the councilman said. “We are currently scrutinizing this project, because according to our information this project can be done with half of the given cost.”

The Transparency Commission is also looking into irregularities in the bidding and materials used for the Southern Kirkuk water project, as well as inconsistencies in several other contracts.


RUDAW