Former Iraqi investment chief sentenced in absentia for corruption

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Federal Commission of Integrity announced Sunday that Suha Dawood Elias Al-Najjar, the former head of the National Investment Commission, has been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison on charges of illicit financial gain and unexplained wealth accumulation.

In a statement, the commission said, “The Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court issued a ruling in absentia sentencing Suha Dawood Elias Al-Najjar, the former head of the National Investment Commission, to seven years in prison. The case involves significant inflation of her assets and unlawful gains that do not align with her legitimate income.”

The court also ordered Al-Najjar to repay the value of the illicit gains and imposed a fine equal to the amount misappropriated. According to the commission, a technical report revealed a suspicious increase in Al-Najjar’s assets that could not be justified by her official income. The investigation found she had transferred funds from a private company, where she previously served as managing director, to a foreign company’s account while holding her public position.

The court based its decision on evidence including the commission’s technical report, statements from the legal representative, and documents from the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Office. Al-Najjar’s flight from the country further reinforced the charges against her, in the eyes of the court.

The ruling was issued under Article 19, Section 2, of the amended Integrity and Illicit Gains Law No. 30 of 2011. In addition to the prison sentence, Al-Najjar was ordered to reimburse the value of her illicit gains and pay a fine equal to the same amount.

On Nov. 6, 2022, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani approved the resignation of Al-Najjar and authorized her deputy to temporarily oversee the commission’s operations.

The PM’s media office stated that al-Sudani accepted the resignation request submitted by Al-Najjar and directed relevant authorities to take necessary actions. In her place, Al-Sudani appointed Deputy Chair Salar Mohammed Amin to manage the commission on an interim basis.

The resignation followed mounting pressure from Iraq’s parliamentary Integrity and Investment Committees. In mid-October, lawmakers began collecting signatures to suspend al-Najjar due to allegations of corruption, misuse of public funds, and illicit enrichment. According to MP Hadi Al-Salami, a member of the Integrity Committee, 75 signatures had been gathered to support the motion.