Iraqi authorities have launched an investigation after a high-ranking official of a South Korean conglomerate participating in Iraq's new port project was suddenly found dead, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 11.
According to the media, a high-ranking Korean official in charge of the construction of Daewoo E&C's new port project in Al Faw, southern Iraq, was found dead by an employee in the Basra area on the morning of Oct. 9.
Iraqi authorities estimated that the official, A, had made an extreme choice, but lawmakers and many government officials expressed opposition to the conclusion, and the Ministry of the Interior set up a committee to investigate the cause of A's death, according to the media.
An investigation committee affiliated with the ministry decided to investigate surveillance cameras installed inside the corporate complex where A was located to find out the exact cause of the death.
Earlier, after A was found dead, the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation issued a statement saying, "A took his own life and his death would not cause the project to run aground."
However, the AP reported that Karim al-Kaabi, vice chairman of the Iraqi parliament, demanded the government investigate the death of the man in earnest.
Al-Kaabi raised questions in an interview with Iraq's state-run media about the time of his death. He pointed out that A died after the Iraqi Transport Ministry announced that the next phase of the Alpo New Port project was imminent.
Hakeem al-Jamili, the leader of the majority party of Iraq's parliament, also agreed with the allegations and demanded a fact-finding in investigation from the government, according to the media.
An official of Daewoo E&C said, "We are watching the investigation by the local investigation agency and we are also trying to figure out the situation internally. We are also working with related agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
