Ministry of Health headquarters: IQD 6.5 billion paid to fictitious guards, convictions (2019, 2021) and a return from Belarus (2024)
The Federal Integrity Commission said on 1 July 2019 that the criminal court for integrity cases in Baghdad had sentenced three fugitive former officials of the Ministry of Health in absentia to seven years each under Article 340 of the Penal Code. They were the former audit director in the office of the ministry's technical deputy minister and the former heads of the finance section and the human resources section of the Administrative and Financial Directorate. The Commission said they had approved forged lists of fictitious guards and paid their salaries, causing a loss of IQD 6.5 billion. On 18 August 2021 the Supreme Judicial Council said the Rusafa criminal court for integrity cases had given four two-year sentences to two ministry employees who sat on the committee receiving the guards' salaries, and had ordered them to repay the money to the ministries of health and interior. On 4 June 2024 the Commission said Jinan Jawad Abd al-Qaisi, a former head of the finance section, had been handed over by Belarus after an Interpol red notice.
- Period
- From July 2019 to June 2024
- Sector
- HealthMinistry payroll (security guards' salaries)
- Kind of case
- Criminal prosecution
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved
Forged lists of fictitious guards were entered on the payroll and their salaries were drawn by officials.
What happened
Three in-absentia sentences of seven years (2019); two employees sentenced to two years each and ordered to repay (2021); one former official returned from Belarus (2024), with no published outcome as of 19 October 2026.
Open questions
- Names of the convicted officials.
- Outcome of the case against Jinan Jawad Abd al-Qaisi after her return.
- How much of the IQD 6.5 billion was recovered.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three former Ministry of Health officials (audit director and heads of the finance and human resources sections, not named) ثلاثة مسؤولين سابقين في وزارة الصحة (لم تُذكر أسماؤهم) | Former audit director (office of the technical deputy minister) and former heads of the finance and human resources sections, Administrative and Financial Directorate, Ministry of Health | Convicted (reported) | Sentenced in absentia to seven years each under Article 340 of the Penal Code (with Articles 47 to 49) for approving forged lists of fictitious guards and paying their salaries, a loss of IQD 6.5 billion; arrest warrants issued and the seizure of their assets upheld (Integrity Commission statement relayed by the press, 1 July 2019). Not named; described as fugitives. | 19 October 2026 |
| Two Ministry of Health employees on the committee receiving the guards' salaries (not named) موظفان في وزارة الصحة من أعضاء لجنة استلام رواتب الحمايات (لم يُذكر اسماهما) | Members of the committee receiving the salaries of the Ministry of Health's guards | Convicted (reported) | The Rusafa criminal court for integrity cases gave the two employees four sentences of two years' rigorous imprisonment under Article 315 of the Penal Code for embezzling more than IQD 6 billion by paying salaries to fictitious guards, and ordered them to repay the money to the ministries of health and interior (Supreme Judicial Council statement relayed by the press, 18 August 2021). Not named. | 19 October 2026 |
| Jinan Jawad Abd al-Qaisi جنان جواد عبد القيسي | Former head of the finance section, Administrative, Financial and Legal Directorate, Ministry of Health | Arrested | Handed over by Belarus after an Interpol red notice, as announced by the Integrity Commission on 4 June 2024. The Commission said she was a fugitive accused, with others already convicted, of deliberate damage to public money through forged lists of fictitious guards whose salaries were paid, a loss of IQD 6.5 billion. The outcome of her case was not found as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- Alsumaria News (Integrity Commission statement)1 July 2019Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: السجن لمسؤولين سابقين بوزارة الصحة سرقوا ستة مليارات ونصف المليار دينار
Original addressالمُدانين الهاربين وهم (مديرالتدقيق الأسبق في مكتب الوكيل الفنيِّ للوزارة ومديرا القسم الماليِّ وقسم إدارة الموارد البشريَّـة سابقا في الدائرة الإداريَّـة والماليَّـة) قاموا بإحداث الضرر العمديِّ بأموال الجهة التي يعملون بها"، لافتةً إلى "اعتمادهم قوائم مُزوَّرة لحماياتٍ وهميِّين
- Alsumaria News (Supreme Judicial Council statement)18 August 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
احكام بالحبس الشديد لموظفين في الصحة لاختلاسهم اكثر من ستة مليارات دينار
Original addressأصدرت اربعة احكام بالحبس الشديد لمدة سنتين لموظفين اثنين في وزارة الصحة جراء اختلاسهم اكثر من ستة مليارات دينار عراقي عن طريق صرف رواتب لحمايات وهميين
- Kurdistan24 (Supreme Judicial Council statement)18 August 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
Iraqi court sends health ministry employees to prison for embezzling over $4 million
Original addressThe Rusafa Criminal Court that specializes in integrity issues issued four sentences of severe imprisonment of two years to two employees of the Ministry of Health for embezzling more than six billion Iraqi dinars ($4.1 million),”
- Baghdad Today (Integrity Commission statement)4 June 2024Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة تستردُّ مسؤولاً سابقاً في الصحة من بيلاروسيا تورط بهدر (6,5) مليارات دينار
Original address(جنان جواد عبد القيسي) من السلطات في جمهوريَّة بيلاروسيا"، مُبيّناً أنها "كانت تعمل مديراً للقسم المالي في الدائرة الإداريَّة والماليَّة والقانونيَّة في وزارة الصحَّة سابقاً، ومتهمة بالإضرار العمدي بالمال العام".