Convicted Iraq minister taken into custody

Iraqi authorities on Thursday took into custody a former trade minister convicted in absentia for corruption cases, following his extradition from Lebanon, Iraq’s corruption watchdog said in a statement.

Trade minister Abdul Falah Al Sudani resigned in 2009 and fled the country in connection with graft allegations involving Iraq’s food ration programme, one of the world’s biggest.

Iraq’s Integrity Commission on Thursday evening issued a statement confirming the return of Al Sudani after reaching a deal with the Lebanese authorities late last year allowing the extradition of the ex-trade minister.

“Former trade minister Abdul Falah Al Sudani is now in the integrity commission custody,” the statement said. The corruption watchdog said Interpol contributed to the arrest of Al Sudani after reaching Beirut in September 2017.