Ex-PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi urges probe into ‘fabricated leaks’

BAGHDAD — Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has called on President Abdul Latif Rashid to investigate what he described as “fabricated leaks” targeting a senior intelligence official, warning they could destabilize Iraq’s fragile institutions.

In a letter dated August 18, 2025, al-Kadhimi said the leaks circulating in recent days were “executed with poor production” and lacked basic credibility. “These leaks lack the simplest standards of professionalism and credibility. They clearly show that they were fabricated abroad,” he wrote. “They affect many names of the state’s sons, employees and officials, who are innocent of the accusations directed at them.”

The leaks, released earlier this month on social media accounts, were presented as confessions by Maj. Gen. Diaa al-Mousawi. The documents contained no dates, no signatures, and several inconsistencies. They appeared shortly after the circulation of official papers and images related to major cases, including the 2020 killing of security analyst Hisham al-Hashimi and the 2021 assassination of activist Ihab al-Wazni. The content included claims of foreign links to the October protest movement and references that lessened responsibility for figures previously arrested in corruption cases.

Al-Mousawi, a former senior official in Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, was implicated in the “Theft of the Century,” a large corruption case involving stolen tax deposits, and faced accusations of oil smuggling and abuse of office. He surrendered to authorities in 2022 after an arrest warrant was issued, and in November 2023 he was sentenced to three years in prison and fined for taking bribes to misuse his position. His legal record has kept him under public scrutiny, and leaks involving his name continue to draw wide attention.

Al-Kadhimi, who served as prime minister from 2020 to 2022, framed the issue as part of a broader threat to Iraq’s political order. “What is happening represents a reckless formula that leads the country to the abyss,” he warned. “If these campaigns persist, Iraq will fall into a dangerous ethical and political decline.” He urged Rashid to use his constitutional powers to ensure that investigations are based on evidence, not political fabrication.

The letter was also sent in copy to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Parliament Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi, Judiciary Chief Faiq Zaidan, and other senior officials — a signal that al-Kadhimi wants his warning heard across Iraq’s leadership.