Shafaq News- Baghdad

Baghdad al-Karkh Court of Appeal ordered member of parliament Alia Nassif to pay new financial compensation to Hussein Yousef al-Tamimi, a legal advisor at Iraq's Ministry of Interior, a judicial source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

The ruling followed a finding that Nassif bore civil liability for damage caused to al-Tamimi by “insult and defamation carried out while he performed his official duties.”

The source said that the law protects any public servant who acts within its provisions while preserving the right to pursue those who infringe on their rights or position.

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The ruling comes alongside an earlier civil judgment issued in late June by the competent al-Karkh court, which obligated Nassif to pay compensation to al-Tamimi.

According to the source, that judgment rested on a finding of civil liability for damage caused by statements Nassif made through media outlets. The court determined the statements harmed al-Tamimi's reputation, professional standing, and social position, and that they were made because he had carried out a lawful duty under a judicial order to arrest her nephew, who was caught in the act.

Nassif is among the lawmakers detained in a nationwide anti-corruption campaign, known as Operation Dawn Crackdown, that Iraqi security forces launched on June 28 under warrants that lifted parliamentary immunity. Her detention in that campaign is a separate legal matter from the civil defamation rulings.

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