Baghdad - The Intelligence Agency announced the arrest of a group of people who used citizens’ passports to speculate on the dollar exchange rate in Baghdad.

The agency said in a statement: “The intelligence agency units responsible for combating organized crime continue their proactive operations in pursuing exchange rate speculators who harm the national economy, as the intelligence agency units received accurate information that included a remittance and banking company printing forged travel tickets using citizens’ passports for the sake of harm the national economy by receiving the dollar at the official exchange rate and then selling it on the black market."

It added: “An intelligence and technical work team was formed to conduct investigations and collect the necessary information, and after completing all judicial and security procedures, three people working within a remittance and banking company in the capital, Baghdad, were arrested, and a sum of money amounting to 1,675,000,000 dinars and 462,2440 dollars was seized in their possession. A printer and a laptop, used to print and counterfeit travel tickets, was seized with a set of passports and personal phones that contained correspondence related to illegal remittance.”

It stated that: “When interrogating the defendants, they frankly admitted that they had caused damage to the national economy, falsified travel tickets, exploited citizens’ passports, and practiced sending illegal transfers in violation of the instructions of the Central Bank of Iraq,” explaining that “the defendants’ statements were recorded and they were referred to the competent authorities in preparation for their appearance before the judiciary to receive their just punishment.”/ End

Source: National Iraqi News Agency