Members of parliament and a senior adviser: sentences, warrants and arrests (from 2024 to 2026)
In July 2026 Iraq's Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court sentenced sitting MP Hassanein al-Khafaji for extorting an investor (a second MP, Mohammed al-Karbouli, sentenced the same month, is recorded in the case Illicit-enrichment and bribery convictions of MPs and senior officials after the 2026 crackdown). The same month the Karkh investigation court issued two arrest warrants against former MP Basim Khashan, and in August former MP Kadhim al-Sayadi was arrested on an extortion charge. In March 2024 the political adviser to the former prime minister, Mushriq Abbas, was sentenced in absentia for refusing to file his asset disclosure.
- Period
- From March 2024 to August 2026
- Sector
- Parliament and political officeExtortion, bribery and asset non-disclosure
- Kind of case
- Court rulings, arrest warrants and arrests
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved
Extortion of an investor; a payment demanded in return for closing investigations and keeping an official in post; deliberate damage to public funds and seeking a benefit for official acts (warrants); extortion (arrest); refusal to disclose assets.
What happened
An MP sentenced in person to two years (July 2026); two arrest warrants against a former MP (July 2026); a former MP arrested (17 August 2026) and, according to an informed source, sentenced to six months (30 August 2026); an adviser sentenced in absentia to one year for non-disclosure (March 2024).
Open questions
- The sums involved in the al-Khafaji and al-Sayadi cases; the outcome of the Khashan warrants and the al-Sayadi arrest; whether the sentences were appealed.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hassanein Qasim Mohammed al-Khafaji حسنين قاسم محمد الخفاجي | Member of parliament (current term) | Convicted (reported) | Sentenced in person by the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court to two years' rigorous imprisonment for extorting an investor (Penal Code art. 452/1), together with a member of his office staff (Integrity Commission statement, 23 July 2026). | 30 September 2026 |
| Kadhim al-Sayadi كاظم الصيادي | Former member of parliament | Convicted (reported) | Arrested on judicial orders on an extortion charge (Iraqi News Agency, citing senior sources, 17 August 2026). An informed source said on 30 August 2026 that he had been sentenced to six months for extortion; no official statement is on record. | 30 September 2026 |
| Mushriq Abbas Naji مشرق عباس ناجي | Political adviser to the former prime minister | Convicted (reported) | Sentenced in absentia by the Karkh misdemeanour court for integrity cases to one year for refusing to file his asset disclosure (Integrity Law 30 of 2011, art. 19/1; Integrity Commission statement, 23 March 2024). The offence is non-disclosure; it is not a finding about the source of his assets. | 30 September 2026 |
| Basim Khashan باسم خشان | Former member of parliament | Charged or wanted | Two arrest warrants from the Karkh investigation court (reported 13 July 2026, with documents): for deliberately damaging public funds (Penal Code art. 340) and for seeking a benefit in return for official acts (RCC Decision 160 of 1983). Two other men were sentenced to two years for acting as go-betweens in a money demand made in his name. No conviction of Khashan himself is recorded. | 30 September 2026 |
Sources
- Non News Agency (Federal Integrity Commission statement)23 March 2024Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: الحبس لمستشار رئيس الوزراء السابق مشرق عباس
Originalحكماً غيابياً يقضي بالحبس سنةً واحدةً بـحقِّ (مشرق عباس ناجي) المستشار السياسيّ لرئيس مجلس الوزراء السابق؛ جرَّاء امتناعه من الإفصاح عن ذمَّته الماليَّـة
- Non News Agency (Federal Integrity Commission statement)23 July 2026Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: الحبس الشديد بحق النائب (حسنين الخفاجي) لإقترافه جريمة الابتزاز
Originalصدور قرار حكمٍ حضوري بالحبس الشديد لمدة سنتين بحق عضو مجلس النواب للدورة الحالية (حسنين قاسم محمد الخفاجي)؛ لاقترافه جريمة الابتزاز
- Non News Agency13 July 2026Press report (court documents)Tier C
بتهمة "الفساد".. أمر قبض بحق النائب السابق باسم خشان (وثائق)
Originalأصدرت محكمة تحقيق الكرخ، أمري قبض بحق النائب السابق باسم خشان، على خلفية تهم تتعلق بالإضرار العمدي بالمال العام وطلب منفعة مقابل أداء واجبات وظيفية
- Non News Agency (Iraqi News Agency, senior sources)17 August 2026Official news agencyTier C
بتهمة الابتزاز.. إلقاء القبض على النائب السابق كاظم الصيادي
Originalبناءً على أوامر قضائية صادرة عن مجلس القضاء الأعلى، ألقت قوة أمنية القبض على النائب السابق كاظم الصيادي بتهمة الابتزاز
- Non News Agency (informed source)30 August 2026Press report (unnamed source)Tier C
الحبس 6 أشهر للنائب السابق كاظم الصيادي بجريمة الابتزاز
Originalأفاد مصدر مطلع، اليوم الأحد، بصدور حكم بالحبس لمدة 6 أشهر بحق النائب السابق كاظم الصيادي