Corruption case drives Sumeriyoun MP withdrawal in Iraq

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi lawmaker Ghufran Al-Shammari said on Sunday she would continue her parliamentary work as an independent and “refuse to provide cover for financial corruption,” after her withdrawal from the Sumeriyoun Bloc, led by former Labor Minister Ahmed Al-Asadi.

Al-Shammari said working independently would give her greater freedom in parliamentary oversight, legislation, and defending Iraqis’ rights, while emphasizing that her withdrawal did not diminish her respect for her former colleagues.

Earlier today, Shafaq News obtained a judicial arrest warrant for Al-Asadi over allegations of illicit enrichment and benefiting directly from contracts and projects at the Labor Ministry. In a separate document, the Iraqi judiciary asked Parliament to lift MP Nadhim Al-Asadi’s immunity to allow legal proceedings over a corruption case involving foreign labor contracts, workforce arrangements, and fictitious companies.