The latest corruption news from Iraq – company or government bribes, theft, stealing – brought to you by Iraq Business News
Iraq's prime minister ordered a judicial investigation on Thursday into one of the country's biggest banks, the Trade Bank of Iraq, saying it was suspected of committing "violations", according to a report from Reuters. The bank's president and chairman, Hussein Al-Uzri, could not be reached for comment. A British adviser to the bank's board, Sir […]
The New York Times reports that two American businessmen have been charged with paying army officers more than $1 million in bribes to secure multimillion-dollar contracts to supply the American military and help rebuild Iraq. A federal indictment against the men, George H. Lee, and his son, Justin W. Lee, was unsealed on Friday. Both […]
By Tariq Abdell, Iraq’s political risk analyst, Founder & CEO of Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The recent upsurge in violence across Iraq ( sticky bombs, car bombs, roadside bombs, targeted assassinations, suicide bombers, prison breaks, etc...) underscores, irrefutably, […]
It is a story that could fit in the national newspapers of any country in the world: "central government projects delayed". Yet Iraq seems determined to do something about the delays to these development projects, reports AKnews, as the government is voluntarily giving up central control to local councils to oversee the projects' completion, after […]
The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]
A member of Iraq's Integrity Committee, Aliya Nassif confirmed on Wednesday that the committee is investigating possible financial corruption in a deal by the previous government's Defense Ministry to buy military equipment from Serbia. Nassif told AKnews that the Ministry of Defense in the former government had contracted with Serbia to buy arms for the […]
The Customs Directorate of the Iraqi Finance Ministry announced that 11 vehicles were seized carrying 200 tons of tea mixed with wood shavings and sticks imported by an Iraqi trader through the Traibil [Tirbil, Tarbiel] border crossing (pictured). The Director-General of the Customs Directorate Nawfal Khalil told AKnews that the Directorate has opened an investigation […]
British businessman Mark Jessop has admitted breaking United Nations sanctions during the Oil For Food Programme by making illegal payments to Saddam Hussein's government. He has been sentenced today at Southwark Crown Court to 24 weeks' imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation and costs. Background Mark Rodney Jessop, aged 53, sold medical goods to the […]
Johnson & Johnson, the world’s second-biggest maker of medical products, will pay $70 million after admitting that the company bribed doctors in Europe and paid kickbacks in Iraq to win contracts and sell drugs and artificial joints. Bloomberg reports that subsidiaries of J&J paid bribes to doctors and hospital administrators in Greece, Poland and Romania, […]
By Tariq Abdell, Iraq’s political risk analyst, and Founder & CEO of Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In light of ongoing socio-political changes in MENA region, Iraq's massive protests, from Zakho to al-Faw, accentuate the political astuteness and […]
Bloomberg reports that KBR managers in Iraq and Kuwait are accused by US authorities of taking $45,000 in kickbacks from a dining facility subcontractor from late 2002 through 2003. Terry Hall, who was KBR’s regional food services manager for the two countries, and his deputy, Luther Holmes, were accused of violating the False Claims Act […]
The commander of Iraq's rapid response force has been arrested on suspicion of corruption. According to a report from Reuters, Brigadier General Numan Dakhil was caught during a sting operation in which he was filmed taking a $50,000 bribe from a contractor. Sabah al-Saedi, a member of the Integrity Committee, said that Brigadier General Numan […]
