According to an official statement from the Integrity Commission, the investigative team from its Maysan office conducted a detailed follow-up of the activities of a private company contracted with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s Biological and Chemical Warfare Waste Center to implement a project for washing contaminated barrels and containers from the oil and chemical sectors in the Qal'at Salih district.
The Integrity Commission said the project had been classified as a “Class A radioactive” project—meaning highly hazardous. Although the company had an Environment Ministry license to install a treatment system for acidic and alkaline waste and an incinerator for hazardous waste, it had not obtained any legal approvals from the relevant authorities in the province, including the Kahlah district administration, Civil Defense, the Kahlah gas power station, the Investment Committee of the Provincial Council and the Maysan Investment Authority.
It also emerged that the land on which the project was built administratively belonged to Kahlah district. However, because the district had no land registration office, the land deed was issued in the name of Qal'at Salih district. The competent investigating judge ordered the detention of all 10 suspects under Article 340 of the Iraqi Penal Code until the legal procedures are completed.
In conclusion, the Integrity Commission stressed that the case was being pursued to protect citizens’ health, reduce the risk of cancerous diseases, and safeguard the area’s water resources and residents’ respiratory systems from radioactive waste.
