People & Institutions

Mullas Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Kasnazani (Malas Abdulkarim al-Kasnazani)

ملاس محمد عبد الكريم الكسنزان

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 20 October 2026

Convicted (reported)

Reported convicted by credible media or an official statement; the judgment itself not seen.

What the documents say

On 18 October 2015 the Central Investigative Court ordered his arrest, with his brother, on financial corruption charges under Articles 310 and 319 of the Penal Code; he said the warrants were not based on solid evidence. A court also summoned him with eight ministry officials over a Uruguayan rice shipment seized as unfit, and a new warrant over that rice was announced on 24 December 2015. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ended his duties on 2 December 2015 for not attending to them for more than a month. On 29 November 2018 the Integrity Commission announced seven year sentences in absentia for a former minister of trade and two former directors general over two basmati rice contracts with USD 14.3 million in damage; a Commission source quoted by AFP named him. No arrest or return is on record as of 19 October 2026.

Kind: Person
Roles: Minister of Trade (2014 to December 2015)

Cases

These are the cases in this archive that name this entry, with the status in each case on the date shown.

Cases
Case	Role	Status in this case	Detail	As of
Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)	Minister of Trade (2014 to December 2015)	Convicted (reported)	On 18 October 2015 the Central Investigative Court ordered his arrest, with his brother, on financial corruption charges under Articles 310 and 319 of the Penal Code; he said the warrants were not based on solid evidence. A court also summoned him with eight ministry officials over a Uruguayan rice shipment seized as unfit, and a new warrant over that rice was announced on 24 December 2015. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ended his duties on 2 December 2015 for not attending to them for more than a month. On 29 November 2018 the Integrity Commission announced seven year sentences in absentia for a former minister of trade and two former directors general over two basmati rice contracts with USD 14.3 million in damage; a Commission source quoted by AFP named him. No arrest or return is on record as of 19 October 2026.	19 October 2026

Dated events

Each recorded step in the legal record of this entry is listed here in order of date.

18 October 2015
Charged or wantedArrest warrant with his brother on financial corruption charges
26 October 2015
Under investigationSummoned with eight officials over the Uruguayan rice shipment
2 December 2015
Removed from officeDuties ended by the Prime Minister
24 December 2015
Charged or wantedNew warrant over the Uruguayan rice
29 November 2018
Convicted (reported)Seven years in absentia over two basmati rice contracts

Documents

These are the documents behind this entry. Each quote is given in the language of the document.

Alsumaria News18 October 2015Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
صدور مذكرة قبض بحق وزير التجارة وشقيقه عن تهم فساد
محكمة التحقيق المركزية اصدرت أمراً بالقبض على وزير التجارة الحالي وشقيقه عن تهم فساد مالي
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty18 October 2015Press reportTier D
Iraq Issues Arrest Warrant For Trade Minister On Corruption Charges
Iraq has issued arrest warrants against Trade Minister Milas Muhammad Abdul Karim and his brother Nehru on corruption charges.
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Middle East Eye (AFP)19 October 2015Press reportTier D
Arrest warrant issued for Iraqi trade minister over corruption
Iraqi media reports said Kasnazani is suspected of awarding contracts without tenders to firms linked to his Jordan-based brother Nehru
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Voice of America (Reuters)26 October 2015Press reportTier D
Exclusive: Murdered Iraqi Trade Official Was Set to Expose Corruption
A court also summoned Abdul Kareem and eight other ministry officials, including the head of the grain board
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Alsumaria News24 December 2015Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة: صدور أمر قبض جديد بحق وزير التجارة المقال ملاس الكسنزان وأحد المدراء العامين
صدور أمر القبض جاء على خلفية قضية الرز الاورغواي
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Alsumaria News29 November 2018Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة تكشف عن صدور حكم بالسجن على وزير التجارة الاسبق ومسؤولين بالوزارة
قيام المدانين الهاربين بارتكاب مخالفاتٍ في عقدين مُبرمين بين الشركة العامَّة لتجارة الحبوب وإحدى الشركات لتجهيز مادَّة الرز(البسمتي)
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Asharq Al-Awsat (AFP)29 November 2018Press reportTier D
السجن لوزير عراقي سابق أدين بالفساد
ونقلت وكالة الصحافة الفرنسية عن مصدر في الهيئة أن «الوزير المعني هو ملاس الكسنزان»
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address
Iraq Business News29 November 2018Press reportTier D
Former Trade Minister sentenced for Corruption
A former Minister for Trade and two former State Directors of the Ministry have been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for corruption.
Case: Trade Minister Mullas al-Kasnazani: arrest warrants (2015) and an in absentia sentence over two basmati rice contracts of the Grain Trading company (2018)
Original address

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. (6 articles)

24 December 2015
النزاهة: صدور أمر قبض جديد بحق وزير التجارة المقال ملاس الكسنزان وأحد المدراء العامينalsumaria.tv
20 October 2015
ائتلاف الوطنية يشيد بجهود تحقيق النزاهة ومن بينها أمر القبض بحق وزير التجارةalsumaria.tv
18 October 2015
مذكرة توقيف بحق وزير التجارة العراقي وشقيقه بتهم فساد ماليAsharq Al-Awsat
18 October 2015
وزير التجارة العراقي في قبضة العدالة بعد تهم الفسادaawsat.com
18 October 2015
صدور مذكرة قبض بحق وزير التجارة وشقيقه عن تهم فسادalsumaria.tv
9 December 2014
وزير التجارة يشكل لجنة للتدقيق بشكاوى عن "وجود فضائيين" في الوزارةalsumaria.tv