Dhi Qar Governor Murtadha Al-Ibrahimi
Murtadha Al-Ibrahimi
Dhi Qar council ousts governor after brief questioning following controversy over leaked audio
DHI QAR — The Dhi Qar Provincial Council voted on Tuesday to dismiss Governor Murtadha Al-Ibrahimi following a questioning session that lasted less than 30 minutes.
According to a source within the council, 10 out of 11 members present at the session voted to remove the governor, citing his “unconvincing answers.”
The council, which consists of 18 members, had elected Al-Ibrahimi, a leader in the Hikma Movement, as governor of Dhi Qar on Feb. 5, 2024.
Council spokesperson Ahmed Saleem labeled the dismissal “invalid.” Speaking at a press conference, Saleem said he was “surprised” to learn that the session had been held an hour earlier than its scheduled time. He noted that during the session, “the governor addressed several questions posed by the council” and that there had been cooperation between members and the governor.
As head of the council’s legal committee, Saleem described the session as “invalid.” No official statement has been made by the council presidency regarding Saleem’s claims.
The council had previously postponed a questioning session for the governor last Wednesday due to a lack of quorum, marking the fourth such delay. Although the governor appeared for questioning for the first time on this matter, earlier postponements were attributed to his “health condition” or his request for a 30-day preparation period.
In December 2024, a leaked audio recording, allegedly attributed to Al-Ibrahimi, circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism and calls for investigation. In the recording, the governor reportedly refers to council members as “thieves” and purportedly admits to pressuring the Counter-Terrorism Directorate to “torture detained protesters.”
Al-Ibrahimi denied the authenticity of the recording, calling it a “desperate attempt” to derail development projects in the governorate.
“Despite the ongoing urban development and progress across various sectors in Dhi Qar, some individuals are attempting to disrupt this honorable path by spreading lies and misleading rumors,” the governor said in a statement issued by his media office.
“Recently, fabricated audio recordings have surfaced on social media, clearly intended to incite division and destabilize the governorate,” the statement continued.