People & Institutions
Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan (al-Akoub)
نوفل العاكوب
This page sets out what the documents in this archive record about this person: the legal status on the date shown, the cases, the official registers and the sources.
Legal status as of 4 October 2026
Convicted (reported)
Reported convicted by credible media or an official statement; the judgment itself not seen.
Also on record
- Under sanctionsPlaced on a government sanctions list. An official act, not a court judgment.
What the documents say
- Dismissed 24 March 2019 after the Tigris ferry disaster; an arrest warrant followed on 27 March 2019 and he fled (according to the US Treasury); the warrant was executed in October 2020. The Nineveh First Criminal Court sentenced him in person on 5 October 2023 to 15 years for embezzlement (Penal Code art. 315): IQD 48,077,125,000 of the 2018 stabilisation funds was withdrawn from Rasheed Bank and handed to a fugitive employee instead of official accounts (Integrity Commission statement; Shafaq names him). UK sanctions (July 2021). Released on 9 June 2026 under the general amnesty law, according to an informed source (Baghdad Today).
- Placed on the US Treasury sanctions list on 18 July 2019 under the Global Magnitsky programme (corruption); UK sanctions July 2021; reported serving a five-year sentence in Iraq (2021). See Nineveh entry for Iraqi case.
- Kind
- Person
- Roles
- Governor of Nineveh (from 2017 to 2019)
Cases
These are the cases in this archive that name this entry, with the status in each case on the date shown.
| Case | Role | Status in this case | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nineveh governor Nawfal al-Akoub: reconstruction and displaced-persons funds (from 2017 to 2019) | Governor of Nineveh | Convicted (reported) | Dismissed 24 March 2019 after the Tigris ferry disaster; an arrest warrant followed on 27 March 2019 and he fled (according to the US Treasury); the warrant was executed in October 2020. The Nineveh First Criminal Court sentenced him in person on 5 October 2023 to 15 years for embezzlement (Penal Code art. 315): IQD 48,077,125,000 of the 2018 stabilisation funds was withdrawn from Rasheed Bank and handed to a fugitive employee instead of official accounts (Integrity Commission statement; Shafaq names him). UK sanctions (July 2021). Released on 9 June 2026 under the general amnesty law, according to an informed source (Baghdad Today). | 30 September 2026 |
| US Global Magnitsky corruption designations of Iraqi figures: two ex-governors (July 2019) and Khamis al-Khanjar (December 2019) | Governor of Nineveh (from 2017 to 2019) | Under sanctions | Placed on the US Treasury sanctions list on 18 July 2019 under the Global Magnitsky programme (corruption); UK sanctions July 2021; reported serving a five-year sentence in Iraq (2021). See Nineveh entry for Iraqi case. | 25 September 2026 |
In the registers
Being listed in a register records a role, an ownership stake, a licence or a designation. It is not an allegation. All registers
Sanctions
| Date | Authority | Action | Reason given | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2019 | US Treasury (OFAC) | Designation Executive Order 13818 (Global Magnitsky) (corruption) | “responsible for or complicit in ... corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets” | Original |
Dated events
Each recorded step in the legal record of this entry is listed here in order of date.
- 24 March 2019Removed from officeRemoved by parliament
- 27 March 2019Charged or wantedNineveh investigation court warrant
- 18 July 2019Under sanctionsOFAC Executive Order 13818
- July 2021Convicted (reported)Serving 5-year sentence (reported by UK)
- July 2021Under sanctionsUK Global Anti-Corruption sanctions
- 5 October 2023Convicted15 years, embezzlement
- 9 June 2026Pardoned or amnestiedReleased under the general amnesty law, according to an informed source
Documents
These are the documents behind this entry. Each quote is given in the language of the document.
- OCCRP27 March 2019Press reportTier D
Iraq Issues Warrant for Mosul's Provincial Governor Over Corruption
OriginalIraq has issued a warrant for the arrest of Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan
- English Wikipedia25 September 2026Press reportTier D
2019 Mosul ferry sinking
Originalrequested that the Iraqi parliament remove al-Akoub as governor, which the body did on 24 March
- Iraq Business News (citing UK Government)26 July 2021Press reportTier D
UK issues Sanctions against former Governor of Nineveh
OriginalNawfal Hammadi Al-Sultan is alleged to have misappropriated public funds intended for reconstruction efforts
He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Iraq
- Shafaq News5 October 2023Press reportTier C
الحكم بالسجن المؤقت لمدة 15 سنة بحق محافظ نينوى الأسبق نوفل العاكوب
Originalأصدرت محكمة جنايات نينوى الاولى، اليوم الخميس، حكماً بالسجن المؤقت 15 سنة بحق محافظ نينوى الأسبق نوفل العاكوب
- 964media (Federal Integrity Commission statement)5 October 2023Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
الحكم على محافظ نينوى الأسبق بالسجن 15 سنة بتهمة الاختلاس
Originalقرار حكمٍ حضوريٍّ يقضي بالسجن (15) سنة بحق محافظ نينوى الأسبق، استناداً إلى أحكام المادة (315) من قانون العقوبات؛ على إثر اقتراف جريمة اختلاس أموالٍ مُخصَّصةٍ لإعادة الاستقرار في محافظة نينوى
- Baghdad Today (informed source)9 June 2026Press report (unnamed source)Tier C
القضاء العراقي يفرج عن محافظ نينوى الأسبق نوفل العاكوب
Originalأطلق القضاء العراقي، اليوم الثلاثاء، ( 9 حزيران 2026 )، سراح محافظ نينوى الأسبق، نوفل العاكوب ... إطلاق سراح (العاكوب) تم بعد شموله بقانون العفو العام
- US Department of the Treasury18 July 2019Sanctions noticeTier A
Treasury Sanctions Persons Associated with Serious Human Rights Abuse and Corrupt Actors in Iraq (sm735)
OriginalSHA-256 60f6c4c30a70designated two militia figures, Rayan al-Kildani and Waad Qado, and two former Iraqi governors, Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan and Ahmed al-Jubouri, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818
Articles
These press articles mention this name and are listed with the newest first. They are given for journalists and researchers. An article is a report, not a finding. (9 articles)
- 10 June 2026
- 29 July 2023
- 22 July 2021UK slaps corruption sanctions on former Iraqi governorthenationalnews.com
- 22 July 2021
- 19 October 2020تنفيذ أمر قبض بحق محافظ نينوى الأسبق نوفل العاكوبkirkuknow.com
- 22 April 2019
- 27 March 2019
- 28 February 2018
- 29 December 2017