Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) — The Federal Commission of Integrity and the National Investment Commission (NIC) have agreed to deepen joint operational coordination to insulate Iraq’s investment climate from corruption, bribery, and regulatory extortion, officials announced on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.

The alignment was formalized during a bilateral meeting between the President of the Federal Commission of Integrity, Dr. Mohammad Ali Al-Lami, and the Chairman of the National Investment Commission, Adel Al-Yasiri. Both officials underscored that asset recovery and anti-graft enforcement must directly reinforce national reconstruction and economic development.

Core Areas of Institutional Cooperation

• Shielding Investors from Extortion: Establishing streamlined reporting mechanisms to identify and prosecute illicit extortion, bureaucratic bribery, and administrative gatekeeping targeting domestic and foreign businesses.
• Streamlining Project Clearances: Eliminating regulatory bottlenecks and discretionary hurdles that impede licensed development projects and delay the entry of foreign direct investment (FDI).
• Creating a Predictable Business Environment: Dr. Al-Lami emphasized that robust oversight bodies provide the legal certainty and security assurances necessary to attract multinational capital and corporate partners to Iraq.
• Reinforcing Public Confidence: Emphasized that transparent judicial outcomes—convicting corrupt actors and recovering stolen assets—must advance in tandem with tangible improvements in municipal services and infrastructure.

Strategic Alignment Between Oversight and Investment

Institutional FocusOperational ObjectiveImpact on Business ClimateFederal Commission of IntegrityProbing extortion networks, tracing illicit wealth, and prosecuting corrupt officials.Reduces transaction friction, illicit compliance costs, and regulatory risk.National Investment Commission (NIC)Licensing strategic development projects and facilitating capital entry.Accelerates infrastructure execution and safeguards investor concessions.Judicial PartnershipEnforcing convictions and securing asset freezes in coordination with specialized courts.Establishes binding legal safeguards for foreign and domestic private capital.

NIC Chairman Adel Al-Yasiri commended the Integrity Commission’s field operations conducted alongside the Iraqi judiciary, noting that dismantling extortion networks that illicitly profit off state resources is a prerequisite for a competitive economy.

Al-Yasiri affirmed that creating an accountable administrative framework provides institutional protection for capital inflows, ensuring that licensed projects proceed without illicit disruptions.