Former Iraqi oil distribution company head arrested in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A former director general of Iraq's Oil Products Distribution Company, Hussein Taleb Abboud Meruh al-Fazili, was arrested in Baghdad on Thursday, a security source said. The arrest came hours before he was scheduled to be sworn in as a Baghdad member of parliament, replacing Ammar Musa on the State of National Forces Alliance list. According to the source, security forces detained al-Fazili in the Rabi Street area of Baghdad on corruption charges. The detention comes as Iraq's parliament prepared for a swearing-in ceremony in which several substitute lawmakers were expected to fill vacant seats in its sixth electoral term. The Oil Products Distribution Company operates under the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and oversees the distribution of gasoline and petroleum products to the country's provinces. A crackdown on corruption targeting current and former officials, launched by Prime Minister Ali Fallah al-Zaydi's government, remains underway. No further details were immediately available.