Deputy industry minister arrested on suspicion of taking a bribe

BAGHDAD — Nasser Kadhim Jabr, deputy minister of industry and minerals, has been arrested after allegedly being caught taking a bribe, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported Tuesday. The agency gave no details of the arrest, the amount or the investigation.

He is the latest senior figure caught up in a wave of corruption cases. Earlier this month, Baghdad’s Karkh Court of Appeal asked parliament to lift the immunity of Badr lawmaker Zahra Luqman al-Saadi so she can face forgery charges, which she denies.

Four lawmakers have been jailed for seven years since mid-September: Bahaa al-Nouri on Sept. 16, Alia Nassif Jassim and Ashwaq Salim Hassan on Sept. 23, and Mohammed Farman Shaher Salman al-Jubouri, sentenced for illicit enrichment on Sept. 29. Nassif’s repayment and fine came to more than 61 billion dinars (about $40 million at the official rate). Three of the four were among 15 figures named by state media in June, when it said 47 lawmakers and officials had been detained in a Green Zone operation based on information attributed to former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili.