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IRAQ'S CORRUPTION
العربية
Cases

Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi's 2016 accusations of extortion by the Speaker and MPs, and his dismissal

During his questioning in parliament on 1 August 2016, Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi accused Speaker Salim al-Jubouri and several MPs of seeking to extort contracts and money from the ministry. PM Haider al-Abadi imposed a temporary travel ban on those named, and a high-level committee chaired by parliament's integrity committee head began investigating (Asharq Al-Awsat, 3 August 2016). Parliament voted al-Obeidi out in a no-confidence vote in August 2016, the first sitting defence minister so removed. In December 2017 an MP reported an arrest warrant against him among warrants for 48 defence officials. Separately, in January 2016 MP Mishan al-Jubouri said on TV that he had taken a multimillion-dollar bribe to close a file (and then opened it anyway), asserting that the whole political class was corrupt.

Period
From August 2016 to December 2017
Sector
Defence and securityDefence contracts and parliamentary oversight
Kind of case
Parliamentary inquiry
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.

Alleged extortion of ministries by legislators in exchange for dropping questioning or approving contracts.

What happened

Minister dismissed; investigations inconclusive.

Open questions

  • Judicial decision on the Speaker (August 2016).
  • Outcome of the 2017 warrants for defence officials.

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
Khaled al-Obeidi
خالد العبيدي
Minister of Defence (from 2014 to 2016)Removed from office25 September 2026
Salim al-Jubouri
سليم الجبوري
Speaker of Parliament (from 2014 to 2018)Accused by an official bodyAccused by the defence minister (August 2016); investigated; reported cleared by the judiciary.25 September 2026
Mishan al-Jubouri
مشعان الجبوري
MP, member of parliamentary integrity committeeAccused in credible reportingPublicly claimed (TV, January 2016) to have received a multimillion-dollar bribe; no case outcome is on record.25 September 2026

Sources

These are the documents on which this case rests. Each quote is given in the language of the document.
  1. Asharq Al-Awsat (Hamza Mustafa)30 January 2016Press reportTier D

    مشعان الجبوري يفجر قنبلة: ارتشيت بملايين الدولارات.. وكل ساسة العراق فاسدون

    تلقى رشوة بكذا مليون دولار من أحد الأشخاص الفاسدين
    Original
  2. Asharq Al-Awsat (Hamza Mustafa)3 August 2016Press reportTier D

    لجنة رفيعة المستوى تحقق في اتهامات العبيدي لرئيس البرلمان العراقي ونواب بالفساد

    بمنع من وردت أسماؤهم في اتهامات العبيدي من السفر مؤقتًا
    Original
  3. English Wikipedia25 September 2026Press reportTier D

    Khaled al-Obaidi

    In December 2017, an MP reported that an arrest warrant had been issued for al-Obaidi.
    Original

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