New leaks expose Iraqi oil minister on 36 corruption charges

Iraq's oil minister, Ehsan Abdel Jabbar Ismail, has been implicated in fresh corruption leaks by blogger Ali Fadel in an explosive video published on youtube. 

Fadel, who recently released voice recordings of former Prime Minister Nouri el-Maliki which rocked the world of Iraqi politics, said that Jabbar was implicated in a total of 36 corruption cases during his time as finance minister and other governmental roles. 

Despite knowledge of the cases against him, Ali Fadel claims the oil minister was then handed his post at the ministry - a key position in managing the Iraqi economy. 

“This message is for the Iraqi judges who let this transpire. I can send you summaries of your own documents, which evidence Jabbar’s corruption. Why were they not raised when he was appointed?” 

According to documents obtained by Fadel, the current oil minister is accused of embezzling over a million dollars, making corrupt appointments to positions of power, and other acts. 

“Why were these investigations not concluded before Jabbar was appointed?” asked Jabbar. 

The revelations come after repeated corruption scandals and leaks have caused uproar in Iraqi politics. 

In April, a former Iraqi electricity minister found guilty of wrongfully awarding a multi-million-dollar contract was only handed a minor fine, sparking a public outcry.

Then throughout the summer Ali Fadel leaked a series of recordings - including audio clips of former Maliki insulting a number of senior Shia political figures, including heavyweight leader Moqtada al-Sadr. 

And in late August, a new audio leak attributed to the former governor of Salahaddin province depicted how Iraqi judges are allegedly involved in corrupt deals to syphon off Iraqi state funds.