Nizar Hanna Nasri
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
Accused by credible media or a published report; no official action known.
What the documents say
OCCRP reported in June 2022, from leaked tobacco industry documents and interviews, that he ran a trade in black-market and counterfeit cigarettes after 2003, controlled cigarette imports into the Kurdistan Region through Kani Commercial Company, and that two of his companies paid personal expenses of Nechirvan Barzani in 2004 and 2005. His lawyer said neither he nor his companies had ever been involved in smuggling or counterfeiting. No official action known as of 19 October 2026.
- Kind
- Person
- Roles
- Erbil businessman; head of the Nasri Group and owner of European Tobacco
Cases
| Case | Role | Status in this case | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq's cigarette trade: OCCRP investigation into Nizar Hanna Nasri, Waheb Tabra and the Kani import monopoly in the Kurdistan Region (2003 to 2022) | Erbil businessman; head of the Nasri Group and owner of European Tobacco | Accused in credible reporting | OCCRP reported in June 2022, from leaked tobacco industry documents and interviews, that he ran a trade in black-market and counterfeit cigarettes after 2003, controlled cigarette imports into the Kurdistan Region through Kani Commercial Company, and that two of his companies paid personal expenses of Nechirvan Barzani in 2004 and 2005. His lawyer said neither he nor his companies had ever been involved in smuggling or counterfeiting. No official action known as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
Documents
- OCCRP29 June 2022Press reportTier D
Smoke and Mirrors: How the “Father” of Iraq’s Cigarette Smugglers Built An Empire
Original addressOne expenses spreadsheet filed by Japan Tobacco informants showed that two of Nasri’s companies, European Tobacco and Nasri Group, paid personal expenses for Nechirvan in 2004 and 2005.
- Daraj (with OCCRP)29 June 2022Press reportTier D
شراكاته امتدت من عدي صدام حسين إلى نيشيرفان بارزاني: كيف بنى "أبو" مهربي السجائر في العراق نزار نصري إمبراطوريته؟
Original addressيتربع رجل الأعمال العراقي نزار حنا نصري على عرش إمبراطورية تشمل الأدوية وواردات الخمور وبعض المنشآت العقارية الأكثر إثارة في أربيل