Newsletters
Iraq sentenced a U.S.-sanctioned senior oil official to seven years in prison after he was arrested as part of a government-led anti-corruption campaign, the country’s anti-graft body said Sunday.
Iraq’s official news agency INA, citing the Integrity Commission, identified the official as Ali Maarij, deputy oil minister responsible for distribution affairs.
The commission said Maarij was sentenced to seven years in prison over an unexplained increase in his assets and illicit enrichment.
He was also ordered to pay a total of 53 billion Iraqi dinars, consisting of the amount of illicit enrichment and an equivalent fine.
The report said the unexplained increase in Maarij’s assets and the illicit enrichment he obtained amounted to about 26.5 billion Iraqi dinars.
The official was among dozens of figures detained in June during anti-corruption raids carried out in several areas, mostly in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.
The Commission of Integrity said in a statement that an anti-corruption court sentenced the official to seven years in prison for “illicit gains.”
The ruling requires him to return to the state an amount equivalent to more than $20 million in illicit gains, in addition to paying a fine of the same amount.
The United States imposed sanctions on the official in May, accusing him of fraudulently mixing Iraqi and Iranian oil as part of a scheme to help Iran avoid sanctions.
At the time, Iraq’s Oil Ministry denied the accusations.
Iraqi authorities said the raids were part of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s campaign to fight corruption, which has plagued Iraq for decades.
Several Iraqi officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP), however, that the raids were also part of Zaidi’s campaign against funding for pro-Iran armed groups and the smuggling of Iranian oil.
Iraq has been under mounting pressure from the United States to curb Tehran’s influence and rein in Iran-backed armed factions, which Washington designates as terrorist groups.
Zaidi, who took office this year with U.S. backing, has pledged to ensure the armed factions that emerged after the U.S.-led invasion hand over their weapons to the state.
Corruption is widespread across Iraq’s public institutions, but convictions typically target mid-level officials or minor players and rarely those at the top of the power hierarchy.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
