Shafaq News- Baghdad

An Iraqi court on Wednesday sentenced lawmaker Ashwaq Salem Hassan to seven years in prison for illicit enrichment, according to the Federal Commission of Integrity (FCI), the second such ruling against an MP within hours.

The FCI said the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court ordered Hassan to repay illicit gains of 2.115 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.6M) and $2.924 million and imposed an equal fine, bringing the combined total to nearly 11.95 billion dinars ($9.1M).

The court also sentenced Hassan to three years for concealing information on her financial disclosure form but ordered the harsher seven-year sentence to apply. It further upheld the freeze on her movable and immovable assets and granted the FCI the right to claim compensation once the judgment becomes final.

Earlier today, lawmaker Alia Nassif received a separate seven-year sentence for illicit enrichment and was ordered to pay nearly 27 billion dinars ($20.6 million) in restitution and fines combined.

Both lawmakers were among 12 prominent political figures placed under a precautionary asset freeze by the Central Bank of Iraq in August in connection with corruption investigations, according to official documents obtained by Shafaq News.