Iraq's anti-corruption commission said Monday (August 5th) it has recovered $1 billion in money stolen from state coffers in the first six months of the year, in its latest efforts to stem corruption, AFP reported.
The Integrity Commission said 857 arrest warrants had been issued against government officials, of whom 407 had been detained.
Graft is endemic across Iraq, which ranks as the 12th most corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
The anti-corruption commission has been working to track down money syphoned off from state coffers, including funds earmarked to rebuild the country.
Last week, it said around $10 million in aid for the displaced in Ninawa province, where the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) was based, had been embezzled by fugitive ex-governor Nawfal al-Akoub.
In April, it had said more than $60 million dollars in public funds were embezzled by officials in Mosul close to al-Akoub, who was sacked in the wake of a ferry sinking that killed 150 people.
