Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
On 18 October 2015 the judiciary said the Central Investigative Court had ordered the arrest of the serving Minister of Trade, Mullas Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Kasnazani, and his brother on financial corruption charges under Articles 310 and 319 of the Penal Code. Reuters, cited by Radio Free Europe, named the brother as Nehru and reported charges of bribes, illegal benefits and misuse of office; Iraqi media cited by AFP said contracts were suspected to have gone without tender to firms linked to Nehru. A Baghdad integrity judge also ordered the arrest of the director general of the State Company for Grain Trading for obstructing court inspections, and the minister and eight officials were summoned over a Uruguayan rice shipment seized as unfit. The acting minister dismissed seven directors general in November 2015, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ended the minister's duties on 2 December 2015. On 29 November 2018 the Integrity Commission said an integrity criminal court in Baghdad had sentenced a former minister of trade and two former directors general in absentia to seven years each over two basmati rice contracts that caused USD 14.3 million in damage. A Commission source quoted by AFP named the minister as al-Kasnazani.
- Period
- From 2014 to November 2018
- Sector
- Trade and food securityRice import contracts (State Company for Grain Trading)
- Kind of case
- Criminal prosecution
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved
Rice supply contracts of the State Company for Grain Trading signed with violations, according to the court; a rice shipment accepted and later seized as unfit; contracts reportedly awarded without tender to firms linked to the minister's brother.
What happened
A former minister and two former directors general sentenced in absentia to seven years each (announced 29 November 2018), with arrest warrants and seizure of their property; no arrest or return of the former minister is on record as of 19 October 2026.
Open questions
- Name of the basmati rice supplier and the dates of the two contracts.
- Whether the Uruguayan rice case was tried separately.
- Outcome of the 2015 warrant against Nehru al-Kasnazani.
- Names of the two former directors general.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullas Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Kasnazani (Malas Abdulkarim al-Kasnazani) ملاس محمد عبد الكريم الكسنزان | Minister of Trade (2014 to December 2015) | Convicted (reported) | On 18 October 2015 the Central Investigative Court ordered his arrest, with his brother, on financial corruption charges under Articles 310 and 319 of the Penal Code; he said the warrants were not based on solid evidence. A court also summoned him with eight ministry officials over a Uruguayan rice shipment seized as unfit, and a new warrant over that rice was announced on 24 December 2015. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ended his duties on 2 December 2015 for not attending to them for more than a month. On 29 November 2018 the Integrity Commission announced seven year sentences in absentia for a former minister of trade and two former directors general over two basmati rice contracts with USD 14.3 million in damage; a Commission source quoted by AFP named him. No arrest or return is on record as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
| Two former directors general of the State Company for Grain Trading sentenced with the minister (unnamed) مديران عامان سابقان في الشركة العامة لتجارة الحبوب حُكما مع الوزير (لم يُذكر اسماهما) | Former directors general, State Company for Grain Trading | Convicted (reported) | Sentenced in absentia with a former minister of trade to seven years each by the criminal court for integrity cases in Baghdad, under Article 340 with the participation articles, over two basmati rice contracts with USD 14.3 million in damage (Integrity Commission, 29 November 2018). The court relied on the ministry's complaint, an Integrity Commission external audit, a Board of Supreme Audit report and an administrative investigation. | 19 October 2026 |
| Nehru al-Kasnazani نهرو الكسنزان | Brother of the minister; businessman based in Jordan, as reported | Charged or wanted | The judiciary announced on 18 October 2015 a warrant for the minister's brother on financial corruption charges; Radio Free Europe, citing Reuters, named him as Nehru. Iraqi media cited by AFP said the minister was suspected of awarding contracts without tender to firms linked to him. No later outcome is on record as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
| Director general of the State Company for Grain Trading in October 2015 (unnamed) المدير العام للشركة العامة لتجارة الحبوب في تشرين الأول 2015 (لم يُذكر اسمه) | Director general, State Company for Grain Trading (to November 2015) | Removed from office | On 19 October 2015 the integrity investigation judge Mohammed Salman said the court had ordered the arrest of the serving director general under Article 329 of the Penal Code for obstructing the court's inspection decisions. On 3 November 2015 the acting minister dismissed seven directors general, including the head of the Grain Trading company; BBC Arabic reported that some of them were wanted by the courts. Reuters reported that the head of the grain board had been summoned with the minister over the Uruguayan rice shipment. The sources do not name him. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- Alsumaria News18 October 2015Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
صدور مذكرة قبض بحق وزير التجارة وشقيقه عن تهم فساد
Original addressمحكمة التحقيق المركزية اصدرت أمراً بالقبض على وزير التجارة الحالي وشقيقه عن تهم فساد مالي
- Alsumaria News19 October 2015Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
محكمة النزاهة تصدر مذكرة قبض على مدير عام شركة تجارة الحبوب بوزارة التجارة
Original addressالمحكمة اصدرت مذكرة قبض على مدير عام شركة تجارة الحبوب الحالي بوزارة التجارة
- BBC News Arabic3 November 2015Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
العراق: وزير التجارة يقيل 7 مديرين بسبب الفساد وانعدام الكفاءة
Original addressإقالة 7 من المديرين العامين في وزارته، لأنه بعضهم "مطلوبون للقضاء
- Alsumaria News24 December 2015Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: صدور أمر قبض جديد بحق وزير التجارة المقال ملاس الكسنزان وأحد المدراء العامين
Original addressصدور أمر القبض جاء على خلفية قضية الرز الاورغواي
- Alsumaria News29 November 2018Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة تكشف عن صدور حكم بالسجن على وزير التجارة الاسبق ومسؤولين بالوزارة
Original addressقيام المدانين الهاربين بارتكاب مخالفاتٍ في عقدين مُبرمين بين الشركة العامَّة لتجارة الحبوب وإحدى الشركات لتجهيز مادَّة الرز(البسمتي)
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty18 October 2015Press reportTier D
Iraq Issues Arrest Warrant For Trade Minister On Corruption Charges
Original addressIraq has issued arrest warrants against Trade Minister Milas Muhammad Abdul Karim and his brother Nehru on corruption charges.
- Middle East Eye (AFP)19 October 2015Press reportTier D
Arrest warrant issued for Iraqi trade minister over corruption
Original addressIraqi media reports said Kasnazani is suspected of awarding contracts without tenders to firms linked to his Jordan-based brother Nehru
- Voice of America (Reuters)26 October 2015Press reportTier D
Exclusive: Murdered Iraqi Trade Official Was Set to Expose Corruption
Original addressA court also summoned Abdul Kareem and eight other ministry officials, including the head of the grain board
- Asharq Al-Awsat (Reuters)3 November 2015Press reportTier D
إقالة مسؤولين في وزارة التجارة العراقية بتهم فساد
Original addressالقائم بأعمال وزير التجارة أقال سبعة من كبار مسؤولي الوزارة لاتهامات تتعلق بالكسب غير المشروع، ومن بينهم مدير الشركة العامة لتجارة الحبوب
- Iraq Business News7 November 2015Press reportTier D
Grain Board Boss Sacked in Corruption Probe
Original addresshas reportedly sacked the head of the powerful Grain Board of Iraq and six other officials over allegations of corruption.
- Asharq Al-Awsat (AFP)29 November 2018Press reportTier D
السجن لوزير عراقي سابق أدين بالفساد
Original addressونقلت وكالة الصحافة الفرنسية عن مصدر في الهيئة أن «الوزير المعني هو ملاس الكسنزان»
- Iraq Business News29 November 2018Press reportTier D
Former Trade Minister sentenced for Corruption
Original addressA former Minister for Trade and two former State Directors of the Ministry have been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for corruption.