Rabia border crossing: former director general and three staff sentenced over 1,500 tankers of oil smuggled to Syria (2020)
On 12 February 2020 the Federal Integrity Commission announced that the felony court for integrity cases in Baghdad had sentenced the former Director General of the Rabia border crossing with Syria and three crossing employees to seven years each. According to the commission, they smuggled 1,500 tankers loaded with crude oil, which it also described as oil products, through the crossing by misusing letters of facilitation, causing a loss to public funds of USD 17,580,720. The court relied on the statements of the legal representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Oil Products Distribution Company and the General Commission of Customs, which brought the complaint, and on the report of an investigative committee of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. The sentences were passed under article 340 of the Penal Code with the articles on complicity. The court also issued arrest and search orders against the four, upheld the seizure of their assets and allowed the injured parties to claim damages in the civil courts.
- Period
- February 2020
- Sector
- Oil and gasOil smuggling through a land border crossing
- Kind of case
- Criminal prosecution
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved
Misuse of official letters of facilitation to move tanker loads across the Syrian border without customs control, according to the Integrity Commission.
What happened
Seven years each, with arrest orders issued, which suggests the four were not in custody; their assets were seized.
Open questions
- Names of the four and whether they were later arrested.
- The period of the smuggling and who received the oil in Syria.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former Director General of the Rabia border crossing (name not given) المدير العام السابق لمنفذ ربيعة الحدودي (لم يُذكر اسمه) | Director General, Rabia border crossing with Syria | Convicted (reported) | Sentenced to seven years under article 340 of the Penal Code with the articles on complicity for smuggling 1,500 tankers of oil to Syria with a loss of USD 17,580,720; arrest orders issued and assets seized, according to the Integrity Commission (12 February 2020). Name not given; judgment not seen. | 19 October 2026 |
| Three employees of the Rabia border crossing (names not given) ثلاثة موظفين في منفذ ربيعة الحدودي (لم تُذكر أسماؤهم) | Employees, Rabia border crossing | Convicted (reported) | Sentenced with the former Director General to seven years each, with arrest orders and asset seizure, according to the Integrity Commission (12 February 2020). Names not given. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- Shafaq News12 February 2020Integrity Commission statementTier B
السجن لمسؤول عراقي ساعد بتهريب 1500 صهريج نفط
Original addressصدور قرار حكم بسجن المدير العام لمنفذ ربيعة الحدودي سابقاً، إضافة إلى ثلاثة موظفين في المنفذ؛ لتعمُّدهم الإضرار بالمال العام بأكثر من سبعة عشر مليون دولار
- Kurdistan2412 February 2020Integrity Commission statementTier B
Iraq sentences border officials for $17.5 million oil-smuggling scheme
Original addressthe four had smuggled 1,500 tankers full of crude oil through the border crossing into Syria, resulting in the misuse of $17,580,720.
- Kurdistan24 (Arabic)13 February 2020Integrity Commission statementTier B
العراق يسجن مسؤولاً وثلاثة من مساعديه بتهمة تهريب النفط
Original addressبأقوال الممثلين القانونيِّين لوزارة الداخلية وشركة توزيع المنتجات النفطية والهيئة العامة للجمارك الذين طلبوا الشكوى بحق المتهمين