By John Lee. Iraq Fund for the Recovery of Smuggled Assets has reportedly recovered approximately $379 million in Iraqi funds from abroad, according to its chairman, Mohammed Ali Al-Lami. Speaking to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA), Al-Lami said the fund is seeking to sign cooperation agreements with international and local institutions to strengthen its […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (pictured) has directed the formation of a high-level investigative committee to examine allegations of corruption involving the mixing and smuggling of crude oil and petroleum products, both at Iraqi ports and within the country's territorial waters. Sudani stressed that there would be zero tolerance in handling […]
By John Lee. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on a network of shipping companies and vessels led by Iraqi-Kittitian businessman Waleed al-Samarra'i, accused of smuggling Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi-origin crude. According to the Treasury, the network covertly blended Iranian oil with Iraqi oil and […]
By John Lee. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions targeting networks involved in transporting and purchasing Iranian oil, including a group of companies led by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said. The U.S. alleges that Said's network smuggled Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil, […]
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi dollar smuggling 'turns regional' amid high Iranian demand for greenbacks Iraq has recently been riled by reports of a multi-billion dollar cash smuggling scheme allegedly orchestrated by Iran and its allies. Apparently […]
By John Lee. The UK government announced today that it is providing nearly £1 million [$1.2 million] in funding to Iraq to combat organized immigration crime and people smuggling gangs. This comes as part of a partnership with Iraq, particularly focused on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), which was established four months ago. The […]
By Tomer Raanan for Lloyd's List. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Over half of LPG cargoes claiming Iraqi origin may actually be Iranian LPG carriers' widespread use of manipulated AIS signals to simulate loadings in Iraq means insurers, flags, and other […]
By Hayder Al-Shakeri and Dr Renad Mansour, for Chatham House. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. How supply chains fuel transnational conflict in the Middle East Transnational conflict in the Middle East is fuelled by both 'legal' and 'illegal' trade. Mapping these […]
Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Prison for Torture and Illegally Exporting Weapons Parts and Related Services to Iraq A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today to 70 years in prison for torturing an Estonian citizen in 2015 in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and for the illegal export of weapons parts and related services. According to court […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Oil Products Distribution Company, in collaboration with supporting security forces, have successfully broken an oil smuggling ring. According to a statement from the Ministry of Oil, a raid was carried out on a garage in the Khor Al-Zubair area, at which they seized 29 tankers loaded with oxidized asphalt [oxidized bitumen], […]
From Rudaw. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. KRG official warns gold smuggled from Sulaimani to Iran The president of the Kurdistan Region's importers and exporters union told Rudaw on Wednesday that gold is being smuggled to Iran from Sulaimani province, revealing […]
By John Lee. Iraq Commission of Integrity has stopped a car smuggling operation in Basra. The investigative team in Basra dismantled the car trafficking network operating through the Safwan border crossing. Three individuals were apprehended, and seven vehicles were seized as they were being smuggled out of the border. (Source: Commission of Integrity)
