Head of COI announces launching “Where Did You Get This From” campaign for election candidates

INA-  BAGHDAD


The head of the Commission of Integrity COI, Judge Haider Hanoun, announced today, Thursday, the launch of a campaign (Where did you get this from) for candidates in the provincial council elections.
 
Hanoun said, during a press conference regarding efforts to combat corruption and recover funds, and attended by a reporter for the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “Today we announce the launch of a campaign (Where did you get this from) regarding the inflation of candidates’ funds in the upcoming local elections,” adding: “We must bring honest men to the provincial councils.”
 
He added, "The success of the campaigns (Anti-Corruption) and (Where Did You Get This From) for provincial council candidates requires, first of all, the cooperation of citizens and cooperation with regulatory bodies to expose the corrupt."
 
He called on all citizens to "read the Integrity and Illegal Gain Commission Law to know the path towards combating corruption," stressing that "citizen silence and complacency in combating corruption and punishing the corrupt increases the power of the corrupt and weakens the state apparatus."
 
He continued: “Yesterday, we held an important meeting with the Independent High Electoral Commission to oblige party candidates to disclose and submit their financial liabilities,” stressing that “the process of combating corruption is a complicated process and requires everyone’s contribution and assistance.”
 
He stressed that "the government is cooperating with COI on the issue of combating corruption, and the Prime Minister is seriously seeking to cooperate with the it to recover the funds, the wanted persons, and the accused," announcing that "he will soon go to Egypt to conclude an important memorandum of understanding to follow up on the wanted persons and recover the funds, in addition to signing memorandums of understanding with Several countries have the same issue.”
 
He revealed "the seizure of 10 properties, the follow-up of funds smuggled into Turkey worth $6 million, and the follow-up of the retrieval of a building in Turkey."

In response to a question by the reporter of the Iraqi News Agency (INA), regarding the issue of tax guarantees, Hanoun said, “Some of the defendants and those involved in the issue of tax guarantees are asking the Integrity Commission to be neutral with them, and therefore we say to the defendants abroad that you are going the wrong way. The Commission " is not a neutral with the corrupt, but rather an opponent to them."
 
He added, " COI is working to prove the cases, charges, and suspicions against the accused, and whoever claims to have no connection to corruption must submit evidence to the Commission to conduct the procedures and submit it to the competent courts," stressing that "all those involved in the tax guarantees case will be tried before a fair court."