Trade Bank of Iraq: raid, arrest warrant for its president and disputed allegations (2011)

In June 2011, after a committee including Integrity Commission and audit officials reported "violations" at the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI), the state bank handling government letters of credit, PM Nouri al-Maliki ordered a judicial inquiry, the bank's offices were raided and an arrest warrant was issued for its president and chairman Hussein al-Uzri, who was reported to have left for Lebanon. A British adviser to the TBI board said the investigation was politically motivated and that the bank had resisted government pressure to engage in irregular transactions. A new head was appointed.