The Chairman of the Committee for the Preservation of State Real Estate and Property, Amir al-Maamuri, has announced that the committee is actively engaged in the ongoing inventory and assessment of government properties in Iraq, facing significant challenges due to the scale of the task and frequent instances of encroachment.
In his recent statement, al-Maamuri revealed that the committee, which comprises representatives from the Financial Supervision Bureau, the Federal Integrity, and the National Security Authority, is operating nationwide to identify unregistered properties and reclaim those that have been unlawfully seized.
Al-Maamuri noted that investigations have uncovered properties that were not officially registered under the Ministry of Finance’s name. In 2022 alone, over 100 properties were identified in official records and subsequently reclassified as state assets.
He highlighted that numerous properties remain undocumented, often discovered through random audits or field investigations, a situation he termed a “catastrophe” due to the lack of a comprehensive inventory of state assets.
The Chairman pointed out that abuses of state real estate manifest in various forms, including unlawful seizures by influential individuals and groups, as well as the intentional neglect of some government properties until they become vulnerable to takeover.
Al-Maamuri also disclosed significant encroachments on agricultural lands and forests administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, revealing that more than 100 forest areas have been unlawfully deforested and reclassified as developable land, facilitating illegal acquisition.
Regarding the sale of state real estate, he confirmed that some properties have been sold at prices far below their actual market value. For instance, a property worth 25 billion dinars was auctioned for just 5 billion dinars due to manipulated auction processes.
Al-Maamuri explained that certain influential individuals employed deceptive practices to secure government properties at underpriced rates. This included restricting sale announcements to limited publications, subsequently purchased in bulk by associates of the beneficiaries, thereby preventing potential competitors from participating in the auction. This strategy was detrimental, leading to significant financial losses for the state.
He emphasized the urgent necessity to strengthen oversight and implement stringent measures to safeguard state property from misuse and encroachments. Moreover, he noted that there is ongoing cooperation with executive authorities to address this extensive issue and protect public real estate holdings.
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