Iraqi Court Closes Corruption Case against Speaker
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iraqi court closed a corruption case brought against Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri by Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, citing lack of evidence, a judiciary spokesman said.
The spokesman, Judge Abdul Sattar al-Bayraqdar, told state television, "The evidence is lacking," Reuters reported.
A travel ban imposed on Jabouri because of the accusations was lifted on Tuesday, the speaker's spokesman, Imad al-Khafaji, said.
In parliament last week, Obeidi accused Jabouri and five other MPs of lobbying for businesses seeking contracts to sell overpriced planes, vehicles and other goods to the armed forces.
He said they sought to influence ministry appointments and some tried to blackmail him. All six denied the accusations.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who succeeded Maliki in 2014, has made the fight against corruption a priority but his efforts have reportedly been met with resistance and caused major disruption to Iraqi politics.
Iraq ranks 161 out of 168 on Transparency International's Corruption Index.
