Ousted al-Halbousi to be arrested in ‘near future,’ says senior Fatah Alliance member
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ali al-Zubaidi, a member of the Fatah Alliance, said that following the decision of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court, former Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi will be prohibited from traveling and will be subject to a forced stay order.
An arrest warrant will be issued shortly for al-Halbousi, according to al-Zubaidi.
“The initiative to restore relations with Israel has been thwarted by al-Halbousi’s removal, and numerous other cases [regarding charging al-Halbousi] will be examined and dealt with,” al-Zubaidi noted.
Iraq's Federal Supreme Court on Nov. 11, ruled to terminate the parliament membership of Iraqi Parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, according to the Iraqi News Agency.
Al-Halbousi was ousted over forgery charges and corruption. He had earlier been involved in a legal battle with a Sunni lawmaker who accused him of forging his signature.
Al-Halbousi is also the leader of the Progress Party, or “Al-Takadum Movement.”
The party was founded in 2019 by al-Halbousi, Anbar Province Governor Ali Farhan, and Yahya al-Muhammadi. The party secured 37 seats in the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election.
Read More: Iraq's Federal Supreme Court ousts Iraqi Parliament speaker al-Halbousi
The Fatah Alliance is a coalition of Iraqi parties formed to contest the 2018 parliamentary election. Its main components are the popular Mobilization Forces factions such as the Badr Organization, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah, and Kata'ib al-Imam Ali, who fought alongside the Iraqi Armed Forces from 2014 to 2017 in its fight against ISIS.
The alliance is strongly opposed to the “American occupation,” and it further enjoys friendly ties with neighboring Iran. It placed second in the elections after the Alliance Towards Reforms, and, in 2021, the party fell from 48 seats to 17 seats as a result of its negative association with Iran, as alleged by the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Sadrist Movement, in the aftermath of the 2019-2021 Iraqi protests.