Civil liability revolves around the presence or absence of damage, so the presence of a mistake alone is not enough to hold the defendant accountable. Also, the defendant did not appropriate the claimed amount for personal benefit, and his violation of disbursement procedures and his negligence in following up on his job do not require compensation for the aforementioned amount, as long as it did not harm the public interest. The civil court does not abide by the rules of criminal liability or the ruling issued by the penal court with regard to civil liability and compensation.
Article (206/2) of the Iraqi Civil Code.
تدور المسؤولية المدنية وجوداً وعدماً مع وجود الضرر، عليه فأن وجود الخطأ لوحده لا يكفي لمسائلة المدعى عليه. كما أن المدعى عليه لم يستحوذ على المبلغ المطالب به لمنفعة شخصية وان مخالفته لإجراءات الصرف واهماله بمتابعة وظيفته لا يستوجب تعويض المبلغ المذكور، ما دام لم يلحق الضرر بالمصلحة العامة. وان المحكمة المدنية لا تتقيد بقواعد المسؤولية الجزائية او بالحكم الصادر من محكمة الجزاء في ما يتعلق بالمسؤولية المدنية والتعويض.
المادة (206 / 2) من القانون المدني العراقي.
I will like to make a few key points regarding Article 206/2 of the Iraqi Civil Code and the statement about civil liability:
The civil court and criminal court are separate systems with different standards and burdens of proof. The civil court does not strictly adhere to criminal standards of liability.
In fact, Article 206/2 states that for civil liability to apply, there must be harm or damage present. A mistake alone is not enough if it did not cause damages. This is a lower bar than criminal liability which focuses more on the violation of law itself. The statement is partially correct that the civil court does not automatically adopt a criminal court's findings. However, a criminal conviction can potentially be persuasive evidence in determining civil liability, depending on the specifics of the case.
Notwithstanding, civil liability has a focus on compensation and addressing damages caused. The goal is to make the harmed party whole, not necessarily to punish wrongful conduct like the criminal system. Issues like whether the defendant personally benefited from their actions may matter less from a civil liability viewpoint if damages occurred.
But, the statement about not requiring compensation if there is no harm to the public interest may be an overgeneralization. Harm can be assessed based on damages to private parties as well, not only to broad public interests.
Though, the civil and criminal justice systems differ in focus, standards, and procedures. The civil court evaluating liability and damages operates independently, but may consider relevant evidence and findings from other proceedings. The key threshold is determining whether harmful conduct resulted in compensable damages based on civil codes and precedents.
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