Karbala: The Federal Integrity Commission has announced the detention of nine individuals within the Karbala Traffic Directorate on charges of accepting bribes to approve vehicles that failed to meet necessary safety standards, specifically the shake test.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a team from the Karbala Investigation Office, prompted by tips about misconduct, found that employees at the Traffic Directorate, in collaboration with a contracted company responsible for conducting safety and shake tests, were involved in issuing fraudulent inspection certificates. These certificates falsely declared unfit vehicles as roadworthy. The investigation led to the arrest of three Traffic Directorate employees and six employees from the contracted company.

The commission revealed that both groups were involved in issuing false inspection certificates for defective vehicles after arranging for payments from the vehicle owners. Bribe money was reportedly found on one of the employees. A subsequent re-inspection of a vehicle highlighted substantial discrepancies between the actual condition and the fraudulent certificate, confirming the vehicle’s failure to meet technical standards.

The commission has prepared a formal report of the seizure and presented the accused, along with the evidence, to the judge at the Karbala Investigation Court, which specializes in integrity cases. Legal proceedings are expected to follow under Articles 310 and 307 of the Penal Code.