Integrity Commission audit uncovers 16K deceased on Iraq pension rolls

The headquarters of the Federal Commission of Integrity in Iraq. Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) — Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission announced on Friday, August 21, 2026, the launch of a comprehensive cross-matching audit of the National Pension Board’s records following formal approval by Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi. The nationwide audit uncovered major administrative irregularities and public fund waste, including 16,384 deceased individuals whose pension disbursements were never terminated, alongside 40,000 biometric Qi-Cards issued on obsolete, unverified records. Key Audit Metrics & Identified Violations Unstopped Deceased Records:16,384 deceased individuals were verified across Ministry of Health and National Center for Digital Transformation registries as still receiving active monthly pension disbursements with no legal beneficiaries attached. Outdated Qi-Card Accounts: Roughly 40,000 biometric Qi-Cards were identified as having been issued based on legacy, un-updated databases without duplicate-number prevention checks. Nineveh Counter-Terror File Review: An inter-agency committee formed by Diwani order is reviewing 102,867 pensioner records for martyrs and victims of terrorism in Nineveh Governorate, uncovering unentitled payments issued without requisite cross-referencing with Martyrs Foundation archives. Anbar Fraud Suspensions: Approximately 19,321 pension records have been suspended in Anbar Governorate alone due to forged documentation and database discrepancies. Unprocessed 2022 Suspension Orders: Significant volumes of unstopped records have persisted since 2022 due to the National Pension Board’s failure to cross-reference stop-payment orders issued by the Martyrs Foundation. The Integrity Commission’s report—submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Pension Board—highlighted widespread systemic flaws, deliberate data tampering, and complicity among branch managers in liberated governorates: Deliberate Data Alterations: Branch personnel and unit directors intentionally entered corrupted or incomplete identity data into active pension networks to facilitate fraudulent collections. Duplicate Pension IDs: Individuals were found collecting multiple salaries under different pension registration numbers derived from identical Martyrs Foundation decision dates. Payment Processor Reconciliation: Multi-agency audit teams (comprising the Integrity Commission, Federal Board of Supreme Audit, Martyrs Foundation, Ministry of Interior, and National Pension Board) are cross-matching state pension records against transaction databases of all electronic payment companies to identify illicitly drawn funds and begin legal asset recovery. Mandatory Electronic Linking: The commission mandated the rapid deployment of a unified electronic platform directly linking the Martyrs Foundation with the National Pension Board, coupled with comprehensive digital archiving to eliminate paper-file manipulation.