Court seeks to lift MP’s immunity over company he co-founded with former minister

BAGHDAD — Baghdad’s Karkh Court of Appeal has asked parliament to lift the immunity of lawmaker Nazem al-Asadi over contracts awarded by the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry to a company the court says he founded jointly with the ministry’s former head, Ahmed al-Asadi.

The company, Altadamul General Trading, Information Technology and General Contracting, obtained contracts from the ministry in violation of the law and the lawmaker directly benefited, according to the court’s request. It also obtained a licence to run a private employment office recruiting foreign workers and secured approvals to bring large numbers of foreign labourers into Iraq. The two men are not related and share a common tribal name.

The request came the same day arrest warrants for Ahmed al-Asadi, who was labor minister under Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, came to light. One alleges he failed to account for an increase in his assets; the other that he benefited from contracts he oversaw as minister.

Separately, security forces arrested Hashem al-Sudani, director general of the General Company for Automotive Services at the Trade Ministry, on Sunday over alleged corruption in a contract with the Defense Ministry, a source told the Iraqi News Agency. No details of the contract were given.

On Saturday authorities arrested Ahmed al-Jubouri, leader of the National Masses Party, in Baghdad on corruption allegations.

Investigations have widened since the arrest of former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili in May, covering government contracts, money laundering and misuse of public funds, and have reached ministers, lawmakers, political figures and businesspeople. Authorities have not said whether the Hashem al-Sudani case is connected to that inquiry or separate.