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IRAQ'S CORRUPTION
العربية
Cases

Sabah al-Kinani, civil-society head and parliamentary candidate: caught taking $30,000 from a director-general (2021)

On 28 October 2021, National Security officers carrying a warrant from the Karkh First Investigation Court caught Sabah al-Kinani, head of the Reform and Change Foundation and a candidate in that month's parliamentary election, in the act of extorting $30,000 from a director-general at the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, after a complaint to the Integrity Commission (statements of the Commission and of National Security). He was released in May 2025; 964 attributed the release to the general amnesty.

Period
From October 2021 to May 2025
Sector
Parliament and political officeExtortion of an official
Kind of case
Arrest in the act, then release
Jurisdiction
Federal Iraq

How the money moved, according to the sources

This account is the one given by the sources listed on this page. It is not the finding of a court.

Extortion of a public official, with a bribe taken in the act.

What happened

Arrested in the act (October 2021); released (May 2025), reportedly under the general amnesty.

Open questions

  • Whether he was tried and sentenced before the release.

People and companies

The table lists everyone this case names, with their legal status on the date shown. A status in this case does not carry over to any other case, and an accusation is not a conviction. How to read the status.
People and companies
NameRole in the caseLegal statusDetailAs of
Sabah al-Kinani
صباح الكناني
Head of the Reform and Change Foundation (a civil-society organisation); candidate in the October 2021 parliamentary electionPardoned or amnestiedCaught in the act by National Security on 28 October 2021, on a Karkh court warrant, extorting $30,000 from a director-general at the Ministry of Industry and Minerals (Integrity Commission and National Security statements). Released in May 2025; 964 attributed the release to the general amnesty. Whether he was tried before the release is not known.30 September 2026

Sources

These are the documents on which this case rests. Each quote is given in the language of the document.
  1. Shafaq News (Integrity Commission and National Security statements)30 October 2021Official statement reported by the mediaTier B

    النزاهة الاتحادية تكشف تفاصيل ضبط (صباح الكناني) متلبساً بالرشوة

    عملية إلقاء القبض على صباح الكناني تمت بالجرم المشهود، لابتزازه مدير عام في وزارة الصناعة والمعادن، بمبلغ (30) الف دولار
    Original
  2. 96421 May 2025Press reportTier C

    فيديو: الإفراج عن صباح الكناني المتهم بالابتزاز والرشوة

    أفرجت السلطات القضائية، عن رئيس مؤسسة الإصلاح والتغيير، صباح الكناني، الذي اعتقل عام 2021
    Original