Hassan Abdul Hadi al-Tamimi was fired from his post as director of Basra airport on Wednesday by the Iraqi transportation ministry, which said his dismissal was part of “routine administrative measures to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the airport’s management.”
In an audio recording obtained by Rudaw on Saturday, Tamimi said he was wrongly terminated.
“My dismissal from my duties… came against the backdrop of a firm stance to delay the implementation of some ill-considered decisions and orders and the intense pressures that were exerted on me to return some of the people in the airport previously dismissed during my tenure due to their incompetence,” Tamimi said.
He also denied allegations that he had installed eavesdropping devices inside the airport.
“I would also like to categorically deny what has been circulated on some suspicious pages, supported by malicious rumors, including the false claim that my dismissal was due to the installation of spy devices and other fabricated lies,” he added.
Tamimi vowed to file a legal complaint against those who spread “these false allegations with the intent of defaming and insulting me.”
Basra is the only airport currently operating in Iraq, which closed its airspace because of Israel’s conflict with Iran. It is permitted to operate flights during daytime hours only.
