Iraqi Parliament to challenge prison sentence handed to a lawmaker after a defamation case

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Parliament on Tuesday decided to challenge the prison sentence issued against Lawmaker Hadi al-Salami, clarifying that the ruling is "preliminary."

Acting Speaker of Parliament, Muhsen al-Mandlawi, said in a statement that the decision against Hadi al-Salami is a "preliminary ruling" issued by the Karkh Misdemeanor Court, subject to appeal, and the legal department has been instructed to collaborate with the lawmaker to appeal this ruling.

Al-Mandlawi explained that the Integrity Misdemeanor Court did not request the lifting of parliamentary immunity from the convicted lawmaker, citing Federal Supreme Court Decision No. (90/Federal/2019) of 2021, which allows courts to take legal action against members of the parliament without the need to lift immunity if the matter pertains to a misdemeanor or violation.

He stressed that the parliament's presidium is keen to fully support and assist the lawmakers in exercising their legislative and oversight roles in accordance with the constitution and the internal regulations of the legislature.

Today, al-Salami was handed a six-month imprisonment sentence for his conviction of "defamation related to the food basket". Al-Salami had filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in September 2022 over corruption and embezzlement allegations related to the "food basket" project.