Iraq court jails former lawmaker and ex-deputy oil minister for seven years each

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission said a Baghdad court sentenced former lawmaker Talal al-Zubayi and former deputy oil minister Ali Muarij al-Bahadli to seven years in prison each on charges of asset inflation and illicit gains. In al-Zubayi's case, investigators found approximately 35 billion Iraqi dinars in illicit gains and inflated assets, the commission said. The court ordered him to repay that amount along with an equal fine, bringing his total financial obligation to 70 billion dinars alongside the prison sentence. In a separate case, al-Bahadli was found to have 26.5 billion dinars in illicit gains and inflated assets. The court ruled he repay the full amount and pay an equal fine, putting his total liability at 53 billion dinars in addition to the seven-year prison term. The commission said both verdicts were issued in cases heard in Baghdad but did not provide further details on the proceedings.