Iraq parliament votes to sack governor after Mosul boat incident
Iraq's parliament voted on Sunday to sack the governor of Nineveh after an overloaded ferry capsized, killing at least 100 people, in the provincial capital of Mosul, state media said.
The vessel had been crammed with men, women, and children crossing the Tigris to go to a popular picnic area on Thursday to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year and a holiday across Iraq marking the start of spring.
Many of the women and children on board could not swim.
Daesh terrorists were driven from Mosul nearly two years ago, but some people are concerned about alleged corruption as reconstruction of the destroyed city has stalled.
Scores of protesters attacked Governor Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan's car on Friday, forcing him to leave the site of the accident. The crowd threw stones and shoes at the vehicle, which sped off, hitting two people, one of whom was taken to hospital.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi on Saturday formally asked parliament to remove Sultan. Iraqi law gives the federal parliament the right to sack provincial governors based on the suggestion of the prime minister.
Parliament also voted to sack Sultan’s two deputies, in line with Abdul-Mahdi’s request.
The governor can appeal the decision at court. He has not commented on the vote yet.
In his letter to parliament, Abdul-Mahdi accused Sultan of negligence and dereliction of duty, and said there was evidence he had been misusing public funds and abusing power.
Protesters blamed negligence by the local government for the accident. The boat had been loaded five times its capacity, according to a local official.
(Source: Agencies)
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