New audio leak rocks Iraq, the judicatory opens investigation
New audio leak rocks Iraq, the judicatory opens investigation
A new audio leak attributed to Iraqi MP Ahmed Al-Jubouri exposes how Iraqi judges are involved in corruption and use their public position for personal interests.
2 min read
Supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr start sit-in protest in front of the Supreme Judicial Council building in Baqhdad, Iraq on 23 August 2022. [Getty]
The Iraqi judiciary on Thursday announced an investigation after a new audio leak attributed to the former governor of Salahaddin province depicted how Iraqi judges are allegedly involved in corrupt deals.
The secret recording was published on Twitter by Ali Fadel, an Iraqi blogger in the United States. He had previously leaked audio clips attributed to former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
In the new leak, MP Ahmed Al-Jubouri, the former governor of Salahuddin, also known as Abu Mazen, speaks with another person called Mohammed al-Hajaf via telephone.
Al-Hajaf delivers a demand by a judge called Faisal al-Azawi, in which al-Jabouri might appoint him to the Iraqi criminal court and also appoint a list of 15 people in the ministry of education for him in return for an amount of money. Al-Hajaf also says that he has submitted an amount of 300 million Iraqi dinars to a judge called Khalaf.
تسريب جديد .
— Ali Fadhil الحساب الاحتياطي (@Iraq9Ali) August 24, 2022
هل سيعتقل القضاء كل من ذُكر اسمه في هذا التسريب ام للنفوذ السياسي والدولار رأي آخر .#شارك_التغريدة https://t.co/M901Zm434h
Al-Karkh court in Baghdad announced on Thursday that it has decided to take legal actions on the corruption charges exposed in the new audio leak.
Last week Fadel also leaked a video clip of the former minister of industry, Saleh al-Jubouri who appears to be taking the oath with his hand on the Quran and swearing that after assuming his duties as minister of industry, he would be loyal to the head of his party.
The clip evoked widespread criticism of state institutions and the judiciary, which has been accused of merely "watching" the scandals brewing over the leaks.
The Iraqi judiciary announced it launched an investigation with the former Minister of Industry.
At the end of July, a freshly leaked set of audio recordings of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, in which he allegedly insulted prominent leaders and incited sectarian division threatened to destabilise Iraq even further.
The former premier is heard insulting several senior Shia political figures, including election front runner Muqtada al-Sadr. However, the Iraqi judiciary has yet to initiate any legal actions against al-Maliki, causing supporters of Sadr to launch a sit-in in front of the Supreme Judicial Council, accusing the judiciary of being unjust.
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