Tag Archives | Corruption

The latest corruption news from Iraq – company or government bribes, theft, stealing – brought to you by Iraq Business News

Fmr US Ambassador Suspected of Money Laundering

By John Lee. Bloomberg reports that A US probe into alleged money laundering by former Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad (pictured), has led Austrian authorities to freeze a Vienna bank account linked to him. Khalilzad allegedly transferred $1.4 million to a bank account owned by his wife, Cheryl Benard, in Vienna. According to reports, the money […]

When Extremists Become Bad Bank Managers

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Paying For The Caliphate: When Extremists Become Bad Bank Managers In Mosul Up until now, locals in Mosul, the northern city under the control of Sunni Muslim extremists, have not […]

US Man Charged with Iraq Investment Fraud

By John Lee. A 51-year-old American has been charged in federal court with defrauding the co-founders and investors of a company out of approximately $175,000, relating to proposed investments in Iraq. Prosecutors in Connecticut assert that Joseph T. Morris claimed to have extensive military and business experience in Iraq, and was the company’s in-country manager […]

Afren Shares Slump, "Unauthorised Payments" Investigated

By John Lee. Shares in Afren plc have fallen by more than 30 percent on the London Stock Exchange on Thursday, following the announcement that the Board has temporarily suspended the CEO, Osman Shahenshah (pictured) and the COO, Shahid Ullah, pending the investigation of alleged “unauthorised payments”. The company has operations at the Barda Rash,  […]

US Contractor Extradition from Iraq

By John Lee. A former contractor has been extradited from Iraq after six years on the run, making him the first person to be returned to the United States under the U.S.-Iraq extradition treaty of 1936. Metin Atilan, 54, who has dual U.S. and Turkish citizenship, pleaded not guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges on […]

Video: Corruption leaves Military Struggling

From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Bribery, corruption, and nepotism have led some analysts to say Iraq's military has been "built to fail". Billions of dollars have been spent rebuilding the military since the fall of Sadaam Hussein, but […]

MP Fined for Offering Land for Votes

By Harith Hasan for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A video of Mahmoud al-Hassan, an Iraqi member of parliament (MP) from the State of Law Coalition, talking to a group of farmers in the province of Diwaniyah has circulated in […]

UN Reaffirms Support in Fight Against Corruption

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) Mr. Nickolay Mladenov (pictured) has reaffirmed UN support to Iraq in its fight against corruption. This came at the opening session of the Baghdad Second International Forum on Stolen Assets Recovery, which was organized by the Integrity Commission. “The UN is taking accountability, transparency and anti-corruption […]

GSK Investigates Alleged Improper Conduct in Iraq

By John Lee. Bloomberg reports that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is investigating allegations of improper conduct in Iraq. The company said: “These allegations relate to a small number of individuals. However, we are investigating whether there has been any improper conduct. We have zero tolerance for unethical or illegal behavior.” The Wall Street Journal reported that Glaxo […]

Karbala’s New Computer System to Prevent Corruption

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Karbala’s New Computer System to Prevent Bribery, Abuse and Burning of Official Documents Authorities in the religious centre of Karbala are planning to computerize their records and start a […]

US Investigates Iraq War Recruitment Fraud

By John Lee. BBC reports that more than 1,200 people are under investigation in relation to a US military recruitment fraud during the Iraq war. The alleged fraud, in which referral fees were illegally collected for recruiting soldiers, is said to have cost the US government at least $29 million, and possibly as much as […]

KBR and Others Sued for Kickbacks

The US government has filed a complaint against Kellogg, Brown & Root Services Inc. (KBR) and Kuwaiti companies La Nouvelle General Trading & Contracting Co. (La Nouvelle) and First Kuwaiti Trading Co. (First Kuwaiti) for submitting false claims in connection with KBR’s contract with the Army to provide logistical support in Iraq, the Department of […]