The Iraqi judicial authorities have decided to confiscate the property of former Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail on charges of abuse of office and fraud.
The decision came after an investigative court accused Mr Ismail of abusing his position and accepting bribes from some investors with contracts with the ministry, local media reported.
Mr Ismail served as oil minister in 2020 in the government of former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Before that, he was the director-general of the state-owned Basra Oil Company.
According to media reports earlier this year, the Iraqi judiciary had looked into allegations against Mr Ismail, including the seizure and illegal sale of the oil ministry-owned lands in Baghdad and the southern city of Basra.
There were also allegations that he had demanded payments from foreign firms in exchange for awarding contracts.
(Xinhua/NAN)
