Basra: The Head of the parliamentary inquiry committee investigating irregularities in the Basra local government, MP Saud al-Saadi, confirmed that the amount of public funds wasted under investigation exceeded 4.5 trillion Iraqi dinars.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Saadi stated during a press conference that the committee's work was focused on examining the Basra government's performance from 2019 to 2023. This period was significant as it followed the dissolution of the provincial council after the October events.

He further explained that the committee had sent over 70 parliamentary letters to the Governor of Basra, seeking information on financial waste and project delays in the province. Al-Saadi noted that the governor's responses were slow and often vague, failing to address the specific inquiries made by the committee.

Al-Saadi also mentioned that a comprehensive report, backed by 44 reports from the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, was submitted to the Parliament's leadership last March. The report has since been referred to the Karkh Investigation Court, which deals with integrity cases, for legal proceedings and efforts to recover the misappropriated funds. He highlighted that the committee had previously urged Parliament to include the report in its agenda over three months ago, and approval was subsequently obtained from the Parliament's leadership.