The latest corruption news from Iraq – company or government bribes, theft, stealing – brought to you by Iraq Business News
By John Lee. The Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Salim Al-Jabbouri [Saleem al-Jabouri] has reportedly been cleared of corruption allegations on Tuesday due to insufficient evidence. Last week, Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi claimed that al-Jabouri and at least five lawmakers and business people had tried to persuade him to secure specific contracts and to reinstate […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (pictured) has issued a temporary travel ban for some sitting lawmakers and politicians, according to Associated Press. The move follows allegations of corruption that emerged during the questioning in parliament of the country’s defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, who claimed that speaker Salim al-Jabouri and at least five […]
By John Lee. The United States has filed a False Claims Act complaint against DynCorp International Inc. (DynCorp) alleging that it knowingly submitted inflated claims in connection with a State Department contract to train Iraqi police forces (CIVPOL contract). The United States filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. […]
By John Lee. The UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has announced that it is conducting a criminal investigation into Unaoil, the Monaco-based company that has been implicated in an international corruption scandal. A statement from the SFO called for information relating to the allegations: "The SFO is conducting a criminal investigation into the activities of […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Thousands of Iraqis have defied a protest ban and rallied in the heart of the capital, Baghdad, to demand an end to sectarianism and corruption. Al Jazeera's Natasha Ghoneim reports.
By John Lee. A court in Australia has decided that the father of a terrorist who was killed fighting for the Islamic State group in Iraq is to stand trial, along with two other men, on charges of conspiring to send a $1-million bribe to Iraq. According to Australian Associated Press, there is no suggestion […]
By John Lee. The father of a notorious ISIS terrorist is facing charges in Australia for allegedly conspiring to bribe officials at a company linked to the Iraqi government in the hope of winning lucrative building contracts. Mamdouh Elomar, aged 62, his brother Ibrahim Elomar (60) and businessman John Jousif (46) were charged following information […]
By John Lee. Donald Trump has accused US soldiers of stealing millions meant for the reconstruction of Iraq. Describing Iraq as “crooked as hell,” the presumptive Republican nominee said: “How about bringing baskets of money? Millions and millions of dollars and handing it out ... I want to know. Who are the soldiers that had […]
By John Lee. Monaco-based Unaoil , which has been accused of widespread bribery and corruption in the Iraqi oil industry, has issued a statement claiming that it has been the victim of an extortion attempt. The full statement from Unaoil follows: Unaoil can confirm it has been the victim of a four-month extortion attempt by […]
BBC's File on 4 has produced a 38-minute programme on the recent allegations of corruption in the Iraqi oil industry, following the leaking of emails from Unaoil. The Monaco-based company denies that it helped companies win contracts by corrupting politicians and government officials. Jane Deith has been given access to the leaked papers and reveals […]
By John Lee. An article this week by The Economist describes Iraq as "the ungovernable country". It says: "The economy, meanwhile, is unravelling. The government gets most of its money from oil sales, but the price of the stuff has collapsed. Parliament passed a budget of 107 trillion dinars ($100 billion) for 2016—and projects a […]
By Simon Kent. According to Judge Sedqi Salimkhan, the Integrity Commission of the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI) is reviewing 21 corruption cases including an official from the Sulaimani Immigration Department who has been accused of spending funds intended for internally displaced people (refugees.) The anti-corruption initiative is part of a wave of reforms that Kurdish President […]
