Shafaq News– Baghdad

Iraq has expanded an investigation into alleged manipulation of US dollar sales to travelers at a branch of Rafidain Bank inside Baghdad International Airport, a source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

According to the source, the case focuses on the sale of dollars at the official exchange rate through the state-owned bank’s airport outlet, a process that has previously drawn complaints and corruption allegations.

Official documents show that additional officials and employees have been added to the probe under a recent directive from the Ministry of Finance, ahead of questioning and possible legal measures. The investigation is now also examining administrative and legal responsibility linked to the airport branch’s dollar-sale operations.

Earlier, Finance Minister Taif Sami ordered the temporary removal of Rafidain Bank’s director, Ali Al-Fatlawi, and more than 20 officials over suspicions related to dollar sales at the airport branch and other alleged irregularities. Those measures were later lifted and the officials reinstated, a move that Shafaq News sources said followed political pressure.

Rafidain Bank sells dollars to travelers at its Baghdad airport branch through an advance electronic booking system, with collection at the airport outlet. The bank has previously suspended dollar sales amid allegations of irregularities involving foreign currency transactions, though the outcomes of earlier probes have not been publicly disclosed.

The Ministry of Finance and Rafidain Bank did not immediately comment on the expanded investigation.

Read more: Exclusive: Iraq’s Rafidain Bank faces renewed corruption files over $1.6M losses