Son of prominent Sunni politician arrested in Baghdad on corruption charges

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces arrested Yazan Mishaan Rakan Dhamin al-Jubouri at his home early Thursday, executing a warrant issued by an investigative judge in Baghdad’s Karkh district, according to his father and court documents.

His father, prominent Sunni politician Mishaan al-Jubouri, said a “special security force raided our son Yazan Mishaan al-Jubouri’s home shortly before dawn and took him to an undisclosed location,” adding that the force said it was carrying out “an arrest warrant issued by the Karkh investigative court judge.”

A judicial document from the Baghdad Karkh Court of Appeal confirms the issuance of an arrest and search warrant against al-Jubouri, born in 1982. He is accused of “impersonating a civil public office to intervene in carrying out an act of public duty without authorization or legal capacity enabling him to do so, for the purpose of achieving financial benefits.”

The warrant states he allegedly received 41 billion Iraqi dinars — approximately $27.3 million — citing provisions of Decision 160 of 1983. The court ordered he be brought before the investigative judge in custody.

Thursday’s arrest is his second in three months. In December, al-Jubouri was detained over a leaked audio recording allegedly showing him requesting financial commissions to facilitate contracts. He was released after about three weeks when the charges were dropped. His father said at the time that the recording was fabricated and that a foreign audio forensics company had concluded the clip was manipulated.

No official statement has been issued beyond the judicial documents confirming the warrant.