Shafaq News- Baghdad

Former Iraqi lawmaker Raed al-Maliki on Sunday filed a formal complaint accusing Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Wahib of conflicts of interest linked to ongoing business dealings and financial claims involving state institutions.

The complaint was submitted to the Integrity Commission’s (CoI) Department of Prevention and the Public Prosecution Service, with copies sent to parliament’s Integrity and Legal committees, according to a statement by al-Maliki. He called on the relevant authorities to compel both officials to disclose their financial interests and remove the alleged conflicts.

According to al-Maliki, Article 20/Second of Iraq’s CoI and Illicit Gains Law No. 30 of 2011, as amended, requires officials in such cases either to relinquish those interests or leave office within 90 days.

The media offices of the prime minister and the electricity minister offered no official statement regarding the allegations.

On May 5, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court registered the first legal challenge to the constitutional validity of al-Zaidi's designation as prime minister-designate. The case was also filed by al-Maliki, acting in his capacity as a private citizen and independent political figure.