Iraqi Judges Order Two Politicians and Oil Executive to Pay Back Tens of Millions

Three Iraqi officials lost their freedom and will pay out nearly $59 million to the state after a court found them guilty of corruption linked to the oil sector. The rulings, announced Thursday, target executives in the petroleum distribution chain and two members of parliament from Sunni-led parties.

Muthanna al-Samarrai, who leads the Azm Alliance, received a six-year prison sentence. The Azm Alliance holds 15 of the 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament. A second lawmaker, Ziad al-Janabi of the Tashree party, was sentenced to five years. Both men are members of smaller Sunni political blocs within the national legislature.

The state-run Iraqi News Agency stated that the convictions rest on evidence that the politicians benefited from contracts with the North Refineries Company and the South Refineries Company. These state-owned enterprises process crude oil and produce petroleum derivatives. Prosecutors alleged the lawmakers received commissions in exchange for helping award contracts to firms connected to them.

Financial penalties accompany the prison terms. Al-Samarrai must repay 30 billion Iraqi dinars, equivalent to $19.8 million. Al-Janabi is ordered to return 4 billion dinars, or $2.6 million. Neither political party issued an immediate response to the verdicts.

Hussein Talib, the former director general of the Oil Products Distribution Company, also faces an eight-year sentence for his role in the case. His conviction, announced Wednesday, charges him with intervening in contract awards for personal gain. Talib is required to repay 55 billion dinars, which amounts to $36.3 million.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi took office earlier this year with a public pledge to reduce corruption. In June, authorities arrested dozens of political figures on similar charges. Those detainees included members of the Shiite bloc led by former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and officials from the Azm Alliance. The current rulings extend that wave of judicial action to the energy sector's management.

On the same day, an Iraqi criminal court handed down separate life sentences to three French nationals. The verdicts relate to terrorism charges stemming from their membership in the Islamic State group. Seven other French citizens received similar sentences on Tuesday. All ten men were part of a group of 47 French citizens accused of IS ties who were transferred from Syria to Iraq for prosecution last year.