Iraq's Corruption
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Cases

Corruption cases in Iraq since 2003

This section holds 98 documented cases. They run from 2003 to 2026. They cover banks and the dollar sale, oil and electricity, customs and ports, defence, local government, religious endowments and the Kurdistan Region.

Each case names the people and institutions involved, with their exact legal status on the date shown: convicted, convicted in their absence, charged, accused, under sanctions, acquitted or pardoned. No one is called a criminal unless a court has convicted them.

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  1. Rafidain Bank Diwaniyah branch banknote-swap embezzlement (2026)
    July 2026Banking, currency and dollar auctionCriminal enforcement action (arrests)
    $1.2 millionTier D
    1 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  2. Al-Huda Bank: FinCEN Section 311 finding and OFAC designation of its owner (2024)
    From January 2024 to July 2024Banking, currency and dollar auctionSection 311 finding and sanctions on the owner
    No dollar figure
    2 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  3. Al-Taif Islamic Bank placed under Central Bank of Iraq guardianship over undisclosed violations (2026)
    From July 2023 to September 2026Banking, currency and dollar auctionAdministrative action
    No dollar figure
    2 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  4. Travellers' dollars: abuse of the official-rate cash allowance for travellers and Central Bank of Iraq counter-measures (from 2023 to 2024)
    From 2023 to July 2024Banking, currency and dollar auctionOfficial statement or estimate
    No dollar figure
    No one named
  5. US-driven dollar restrictions and Central Bank of Iraq bans on Iraqi banks (from 2022 to 2026)
    From November 2022 to July 2026Banking, currency and dollar auctionSanctions designation
    No dollar figure
    4 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  6. IQD 926bn (about $700m) embezzled at branches of Rasheed Bank and the Agricultural Cooperative Bank (announced June 2022)
    From 2019 to June 2022Banking, currency and dollar auctionCriminal prosecution
    $697 millionTier D
    1 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  7. Al-Bilad Islamic Bank and its owner Aras Habib Kareem: US terrorism-finance designation for moving IRGC-Qods Force funds through Iraq's banking system (2018)
    May 2018Banking, currency and dollar auctionSanctions designation
    No dollar figure
    2 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  8. Prosecution of Central Bank governor Sinan al-Shabibi and deputy Mudhir Salih over the dollar auction (from 2012 to 2015)
    From October 2012 to January 2015Banking, currency and dollar auctionCriminal prosecution
    No dollar figure
    2 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  9. Elaf Islamic Bank: US CISADA sanctions for facilitating Iranian bank transactions, and 2013 delisting
    From July 2012 to May 2013Banking, currency and dollar auctionSanctions designation
    No dollar figure
    1 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  10. Parliamentary finance committee (Ahmad Chalabi) dossier: Al-Huda Bank and forged import documents in the dollar auction
    From 2012 to October 2024Banking, currency and dollar auctionParliamentary inquiry
    $6.5 billionTier C
    3 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  11. Trade Bank of Iraq: raid, arrest warrant for its president and disputed allegations (2011)
    June 2011Banking, currency and dollar auctionCriminal prosecution
    No dollar figure
    1 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted
  12. Warka Bank: depositor run, delisting and Central Bank custodianship (from 2010 to 2013)
    From 2010 to August 2013Banking, currency and dollar auctionAdministrative action
    No dollar figure
    2 named · 0 convicted or reported convicted