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Iraq has over 4,800 stalled large projects worth more than $20 billion as a result of mismanagement and malpractices, according to an official report.
The projects, based in various governorates in the OPEC oil producer, have been identified following field visits and investigations over the past five years by the country’s Nazaha Authority, which monitors the government performance to fight corruption.
“We have identified 4,816 stalled or delayed strategic projects with an estimated combined value of around $20.16 billion,” the Authority’s Chairman Haidar Hanoun told the official Iraqi gazette in statements carried by Aliqtisad News agency on Thursday.
He said those projects were identified after inspections and field studies between 2018 and 2022, adding that 1,179 lawsuits have been filed against the parties responsible.
Hanoun, whose Authority reports to Parliament, said the stalled projects cover power, water, construction, industry and other sectors but he did not make clear whether measures will be taken to restart them.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
