Faris Rashid Khurshid: former head of the Electricity Ministry's energy protection directorate, sentenced to a total of 28 years in four cases and arrested in Saudi Arabia (2023)
Faris Rashid Khurshid was security adviser to the Ministry of Electricity and director general of its Electrical Energy Protection System directorate, the force that guards power lines and plants. The Integrity Commission said on 29 April 2023 that the Rusafa criminal court for integrity cases had sentenced him in four criminal cases, to a total of 28 years, for causing damage to public funds under Article 340 of the Penal Code. It said he had bought a property to turn into a clinic for the protection force and registered it below the real price to avoid tax, causing damage of nearly IQD 1 billion. It said he committed violations in a contract with the Thai company PBI, by not collecting stamp duty, and in a contract with the Nahr al-Ali contracting company to level land for an academy. As security adviser he contracted with the al-Haddaj company to buy land belonging to the Ministry of Finance from the Ministry of Agriculture, at IQD 18 million per dunam, for a police academy. The Commission described him as a convicted fugitive. Saudi authorities arrested him on an Interpol red notice after receiving the Commission's recovery file through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Period
- April 2023
- Sector
- Electricity and energy infrastructureEnergy protection force contracts
- Kind of case
- Criminal prosecution
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved
Property and land purchases registered or priced against the rules, and contracts signed without collecting state fees, by the head of the ministry's protection force.
What happened
Arrested in Saudi Arabia in April 2023 on an Interpol red notice. Whether he was handed over to Iraq was not found as of 19 October 2026.
Open questions
- Dates and numbers of the four judgments.
- Whether Saudi Arabia handed him over to Iraq.
- Whether any funds were recovered.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faris Rashid Khurshid فارس رشيد خورشيد | Security adviser, Ministry of Electricity; former director general of the Electrical Energy Protection System directorate | Convicted (reported) | Reported convicted in four cases by the Rusafa criminal court for integrity cases (total 28 years, Article 340) and described as a fugitive; arrested in Saudi Arabia on an Interpol red notice, according to the Integrity Commission (29 April 2023). Whether he was handed over to Iraq was not found as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
| PBI (Thai company) الشركة التايلندية (PBI) | Party to a contract with the Ministry of Electricity | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. Named as party to a ministry contract in which, according to the Integrity Commission, Khurshid failed to collect stamp duty. | 19 October 2026 |
| Nahr al-Ali contracting company شركة نهر العلي للمقاولات | Contractor for levelling the land of the protection force academy | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. Named as party to a contract in which, according to the Integrity Commission, Khurshid committed violations that damaged public funds. | 19 October 2026 |
| al-Haddaj company شركة الهداج | Party to a contract to buy land for a police academy | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. Named as party to a contract to buy land belonging to the Ministry of Finance from the Ministry of Agriculture at IQD 18 million per dunam, in which the Commission said Khurshid committed violations. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- 964media29 April 2023Integrity Commission statementTier B
النزاهة: الانتربول يعتقل المدير السابق لحماية الكهرباء على الأراضي السعودية
Original addressقامت بإلقاء القبض على المدان الهارب (فارس رشيد خورشيد) المستشار الأمني والمدير العام لدائرة منظومة حماية الطاقة الكهربائيَّة السابق.
- Non1429 April 2023Integrity Commission statementTier B
النزاهة: القبض على مدير ومستشـار أمني سابق في وزارة الكهرباء على أراضي المملكة العربية السعودية
Original addressعلى خلفيَّة إدانته بإضرار المال العام.