Iraqi Defense Minister summoned over accusations against Parliament Speaker

The Iraqi court summoned on Sunday Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi over his recent accusation against the Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri for being involved in corruption cases.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi court summoned on Sunday Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi over his recent accusation against the Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri for being involved in corruption cases, according to an official source.

A source from the court of Baghdad told Kurdistan24 that Obeidi was summoned by the law for accusing Jabouri of involvement in corruption cases.

In a speech presented at an Iraqi Parliament session on Monday, Obeidi stated that Jabouri and several lawmakers were corrupt and had sought to blackmail him.

The following day, the office of the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stated that temporary travel bans had been ordered over the accused persons.

The PM's office also revealed that an official investigation into the corruption cases was pending.

Jabouri rejected the request and said that only the judiciary had the authority to impose travel bans.

Following Obeidi’s testimony, the spokesperson of the Iraqi Federal Judiciary Abdelsattar Bayraqdar issued an order and imposed travel bans on several lawmakers.

The banned officials included Mohammed al-Karbuli, Hanan al-Fatlawi, Aliya Aziz, Talib al-Maammari, Mohamad al-Halbousi, Haider Mula, Haitham Zhghati, and Muthana al-Samarrayi.

Obeidi also accused Jabouri on his social media account of participating in attempts to pass corrupt arms contracts.

The Defense Minister stated on his Twitter account on Thursday that he would give his testimony and provide evidence that several politicians and lawmakers were involved in corruption.

Corruption is a widespread phenomenon in Iraq. The country has recently faced a political turmoil while it is fighting the Islamic State (IS).

According to Transparency International, Iraq has been the seventh most corrupt country in the world in 2015.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany