Former agriculture minister set to return to Iraq parliament

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Former Agriculture Minister and lawmaker Falah Hassan al-Zidan is set to return to Iraq’s parliament to replace lawmaker Mohammed Farman Shaher Salman al-Jubouri, who was sentenced to seven years in prison, parliamentary sources told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

The move is in line with Iraq’s election law, as Al-Zidan was the first reserve candidate for the Taqaddum Party in Nineveh province after receiving nearly 12,000 votes in the latest election.

According to the sources, however, Al-Zidan cannot assume the seat or take the constitutional oath until the court ruling against al-jbouri becomes final, following the completion of appeals and cassation proceedings before the competent courts.

Earlier Tuesday, the Federal Integrity Commission announced that al-jbouri had been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for illicit enrichment. The ruling also ordered him to repay the value of the illicit gains and imposed an equivalent fine, bringing the total amount to more than 28 billion Iraqi dinars (about $21.4M).