Parliament's inquiry into Ministry of Electricity contracts (Parliamentary Order 62): IQD 96.6 trillion spent and 2,654 accused in criminal cases (from 2020 to 2021)
On 12 July 2020 Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi ordered a committee to audit and investigate the Ministry of Electricity's contracts. It was chaired by First Deputy Speaker Hassan al-Kaabi, who said it would examine all contracts from 2003 to 2020. In its report, read in Parliament on 7 December 2020, the committee said the ministry's actual spending from 2005 to 2019 exceeded IQD 96.6 trillion. It referred several files to the Integrity Commission, among them a USD 1.118 billion mismatch in loan balances and an IQD 8.63 trillion gap between the ministry's records and those of the planning ministry. It said gas-fired plants were built without enough gas, and that 56 General Electric units bought for USD 5.749 billion were installed under separate contracts, which delayed them; that file went to the Board of Supreme Audit. In January 2021 the committee said it had sent 46 files to the courts, and MP Jamal al-Mohammadawi said 333 accused had been referred, more than 20 of them of minister rank. The Integrity Commission later said the criminal cases on the ministry covered 2,654 accused: 7 ministers, 5 deputy ministers, 127 directors general and 2,422 other staff.
- Period
- From 2003 to July 2021
- Sector
- Electricity and energy infrastructureContract oversight (parliamentary inquiry)
- Kind of case
- Parliamentary inquiry
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved, according to the sources
Contracts and payments made without adequate study or control: gas-fired plants built without a gas supply, supply and installation split across many contracts, sovereign guarantees and foreign loans, and accounts that do not match the planning ministry's records.
What happened
The committee referred files to the Integrity Commission, the Board of Supreme Audit and the courts (46 files by January 2021). In June 2021 al-Kaabi asked the Integrity Commission to publish the results of 54 files. An MP said in January 2021 that convictions so far covered four ministers and seven directors general out of 198 accused. No complete list of outcomes is on record as of 19 October 2026.
Open questions
- Names of the seven ministers and five deputy ministers among the 2,654 accused, and the outcome of each case.
- Full text of the committee's report (not found online).
- Results of the 54 files the committee sent to the Integrity Commission.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accused in Ministry of Electricity criminal cases: 7 ministers, 5 deputy ministers and 127 directors general (unnamed) متهمون في القضايا الجزائية الخاصة بوزارة الكهرباء: 7 وزراء و5 وكلاء وزير و127 مديراً عاماً (لم تُذكر أسماؤهم) | Former and serving office holders accused in criminal cases on the ministry | Charged or wanted | The Integrity Commission said criminal cases on the ministry covered 2,654 accused: 7 ministers, 5 deputy ministers, 127 directors general and 2,422 lower staff. An MP said in January 2021 that 333 accused, more than 20 of them of minister rank, had been referred to court in absentia, 72 were on bail, and convictions covered 4 ministers and 7 directors general out of 198 accused. Names not published. | 19 October 2026 |
| General Electric (GE) جنرال اليكترك | Supplier of 56 gas turbine units (7,000 MW) under a USD 5.749 billion contract | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. The committee criticised the ministry for contracting the installation separately, which delayed the units, and referred the file to the Board of Supreme Audit. No finding against the company. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- Shafaq News14 July 2020Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
البرلمان يحقق داخل الوزارة عن فساد الكهرباء في العراق
Original addressووجه رئيس مجلس النواب العراقي محمد الحلبوسي، في 12 تموز الجاري، بتشكيل لجنة للتدقيق والتحقيق بتعاقدات وزارة الكهرباء.
- Shafaq News19 July 2020Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
التحقيق في عقود الكهرباء يشتد .. سنشخص الفاسدين أياً كانوا
Original addressوانما اصل تشكيل اللجنة هي التدقيق والتحقيق الكامل لكل تعاقدات الوزارة منذ 2003 الى 2020 والكشف بكل عمليات هدر المال العام والفساد التي صاحبتها
- Shafaq News7 December 2020Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
التحقيق بعقود الكهرباء يكشف عن نفقات بأرقام "فلكية" وفساد بمليارات الدولارات
Original addressحجم الإنفاق الفعلي الكلي في وزارة الكهرباء منذ عام 2005 ولغاية عام 2019 بلغ أكثر من 96 تريليوناً و621 ملياراً و901 مليوناً و499 ألف دينار
- Alsumaria News2 January 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
بينهم 20 موظفا بدرجة وزير.. احالة 333 متهما بالفساد في ملف الكهرباء للمحاكمة
Original addressالإدانات شملت أربعة وزراء فقط وسبعة مدراء عامين من أصل 198 متهماً بالقضايا التي تتعلق بملفات الفساد لوزارة الكهرباء
- Arabi2121 January 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
تحقيقات قضائية عراقية في 46 ملف فساد بقطاع الكهرباء
Original addressاللجنة البرلمانية المكلفة بالتحقيق، أحالت 46 ملف فساد إلى المحاكم المختصة
- Middle East Monitor22 January 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
Iraq: parliament refers corruption files to judiciary
Original addressit has referred 46 corruption files related to the electricity sector to the Court of Integrity
- Alsumaria News30 June 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
رئاسة البرلمان تدعو النزاهة لكشف نتائج (54) ملف يخص الكهرباء
Original addressللإسراع في كشف نتائج (54) اربعة وخمسون ملف متعلق بفساد عقود الكهرباء
- Alsumaria News25 July 2021Integrity Commission statementTier B
تفاصيل قرار الحكم الصادر بحق مدير عام بوزارة الكهرباء أُدِينَ بالرشوة
Original addressمُنوّهةً بأنَّ القضايا الجزائيَّة التي فُتِحَتْ شملت (2654) مُتَّهماً، بينهم (7) وزراء و(5) وكلاء وزير، و (127) مديراً عاماً، و (2422) موظفاً.
Related cases
- Electricity sector: tens of billions spent since 2003 with chronic shortages
- Investment power plants on take-or-pay terms: about USD 937 million paid for power not received, from 2017 to 2022 (audit and parliamentary findings)
- Raad Qasim Muhammad: Ministry of Electricity director general jailed for bribery and illicit enrichment (2021)
- Integrity Commission field teams in the Ministry of Electricity: arrest order for former minister Karim Aftan al-Jumaili, summons for minister Qasim al-Fahdawi and a director general's conviction (from 2015 to 2018)