While Iraqi citizens grapple with successive security, economic, and political crises, influential Iraqis have found refuge in the Caribbean countries, as a means to protect their wealth and shield themselves from any corruption charges in the Caribbean countries. Buying foreign passports is not a new phenomenon in Iraq; it is widespread among influential Iraqis in Iraq and in the Kurdistan region as well. However, this project reveals some new Iraqi names who have found safe havens in Dominica.
Prominent names unveiled by this project include the sons of Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan region, former governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Mustafa Ghalib Mukheef, and Nawaf Al Jbouri, an Iraqi businessman whose company Al Awsat and himself are associated with corruption suspicions.
This investigation is part of the “Caribbean Passports” cross-border investigative project led by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in collaboration with the Government Accountability Project, a non-profit organization based in Washington, and a number of media outlets in more than 20 countries, including Daraj. The project reveals the purchase of Dominican citizenship by approximately 7,700 individuals, enabling them to travel worldwide without a visa. This list includes a diverse group of politicians, dubious businessmen, criminals, and lawbreakers.
Benefits of Dominican Citizenship:
1. Global Mobility:
Dominican citizens can travel to 144 countries without a visa, including the United Kingdom, the European Schengen Area, Ireland, and other nations. It also allows for obtaining a 10-year visa to the United States.
2. Attractive Tax Policies:
For investors, one of the most significant advantages of Dominican citizenship is its attractive tax policies. It imposes no tax on foreign income, capital gains, inheritance, stock profits, wealth, or gifts. Large tax exemptions and other import fees and tax breaks are also benefits of holding a Dominican passport.
3. Family Transactions without the Need for Residency:
There is no requirement for actual residency to maintain citizenship. The process can take less than four months and may include the spouse, children under 30, parents, and grandparents of the primary applicant, all of whom are over 65.
Mustafa Ghalib Mukheef the Author: Former Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq
In September 2020, the former Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa Al Kadhimi, made several changes to security and financial positions under the banner of “reforming the country” and combating corruption. Among these changes was the appointment of Mustafa Ghalib Mukheef as the governor of the Central Bank of Iraq.
Ghalib Mukheef obtained Dominican citizenship in 2017, along with his wife and two children, and did not renounce it upon his appointment as governor, in clear violation of Article 18, Paragraph 4 of the Iraqi Constitution. He held the position of Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq from September 2020 until his removal by the current Prime Minister, Mohammed Shiaa Al Sudani, on January 23, 2023, based on his request to resign from his position. This came after the deterioration of the Iraqi currency’s exchange rate compared to the dollar and demands from the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, which collected signatures to end his appointment. Member of the committee at the time, Deputy Hadi Al Salami, said, “The governor of the Central Bank has proven his failure and inability to control the high exchange rate of the dollar, not to mention his refusal to send the daily bulletin of foreign currency sales.”
Al Salami had previously filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Finance, Ali Allawi, and the Central Bank Governor, Mustafa Ghalib Makki, in connection with “smuggling currency and counterfeit invoices for external transfer operations.” He pointed out that “through the initial audit of the change in the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar, we found currency smuggling operations and counterfeit invoices that contravene the justifications and reasons for raising the exchange rate.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Sajjad Salem believed that “the problem is not with the person of the former or current governor of the Central Bank, but the problem lies in the issue of currency smuggling and money laundering. Without stopping these operations and tightening financial oversight measures, there will be no solutions to the crisis of the high dollar in the local market.”
And the deputy from the Fatah Alliance, Rafik Al-Saadi, considered at the time that “the dismissal of the former Central Bank Governor, Mustafa Ghaleb, does not exempt him from legal accountability and prosecution,” especially since he contributed to “starving the Iraqi people.” Meanwhile, recalling that during Mustafa Ghaleb’s tenure, the deputy from the Alliance of Determination, Ahmed Al Jubouri, tweeted: “The bank witnessed the largest operation of smuggling hard currency and an increase in the dollar’s price,” accusing the Parliament of abandoning its supervisory role in holding him accountable “due to conflicting interests.”
On the other hand, Deputy Ahmed Majid Al Shamrani filed a legal complaint against both Mustafa Ghaleb and the current governor, Ali Mohsen Al Alaq, due to the “loss and depletion of millions of dollars,” specifically regarding “forged import documents.” According to the Iraqi News Network, Majid requested “taking appropriate legal action against the Central Bank governor according to Article 340 for causing harm to the funds and interests of the institution they work for, as they directed large sums of hard currency over the years in exchange for forged import documents, which resulted in the loss and depletion of millions of dollars.”
It’s worth noting that the United States imposed sanctions on several Iraqi banks dealing with Iran to prevent the transfer of dollars from Iraq to Iran, especially after auditors revealed an embezzlement operation in November 2022 involving a network of companies and officials, amounting to approximately $2.5 billion from the country’s tax authority, which is about 2.8% of the 2021 state budget, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Mustafa Ghaleb has not responded to our inquiries for a right of reply.
Political Settlements are Stronger than the Constitution
The Iraqi constitution allows citizens to hold multiple nationalities, but Article 18 stipulates that anyone in a political or security-adjacent position, including the Central Bank governor, must renounce their second nationality.
Ghaleb obtained Dominican citizenship in 2017 and did not renounce it when he was appointed as the Central Bank governor, which constitutes a clear violation of Article 18 of the constitution. However, he is not the only one, as dual nationality has allowed many officials to escape abroad, especially those with corruption allegations, serving as a strong immunity from legal prosecution, according to journalist and writer Salah Hassan Baban in an article for Al Jazeera. He mentioned several individuals who authorities were unable to legally pursue because they were citizens of other countries and managed to escape to them. Examples include Adel Abdul Mahdi, who holds French citizenship, and former Prime Minister Haider al Abadi, who holds British citizenship, among others. Former Iraqi President Barham Salih, for example, renounced his British citizenship when he assumed the Iraqi presidency.
The government of Mustafa Al Kadhimi is a prominent example of how political settlements have been prioritized over the constitution, as several ministers, including Al Kadhimi himself, did not renounce their second nationalities. Observers note that political consensus often carries more weight and influence than the constitution in many cases, according to Al Araby Al Jadeed.
It is worth noting that the Iraqi Nationality Law No. 26, issued in 2006, states in its ninth article (the fourth article):
“An Iraqi who acquires another nationality shall not hold a senior sovereign or security position unless he renounces that nationality.”
Furthermore, its tenth article states:
“First: An Iraqi who acquires foreign nationality shall retain his Iraqi nationality unless he expressly renounces it.
Second: Iraqi courts shall apply Iraqi law to individuals who hold both Iraqi and foreign nationalities…”
The Barzani Family
The Barzani family has been in power in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since 2005 when Massoud Barzani was elected as the first president of the region on January 31, 2005. However, the power and wealth enjoyed by the Barzani family are not sufficient for the children of General Kurdish leader Sihad Barzani, who is the brother of Massoud Barzani, and who held the position of President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for an extended period. These children, namely Jami, Judy, Adrina, and Lami, decided in 2017 to acquire Dominican citizenship. Judy Barzani is the director of the Erbil branch for project monitoring in the Kurdistan Regional Government and has been an architect in the government since June 2017. It is clear from their social media profiles that they are all relatively young and are politically or militarily active in the Kurdistan Region. This raises questions about their interest in obtaining another nationality.
The Barzani family has not responded to our inquiries.
Dual Citizenship for the Iraqi Elite
The phenomenon of “second citizenship” has flourished, and companies specializing in providing “second citizenship” have become active in the Kurdistan Region, according to investigative journalist Salah Baban. These companies “use various means to advertise their services and affirm that thousands of citizens of the Kurdistan Region, especially those from the newly wealthy class, can seek to obtain Dominican citizenship and passports from other countries through financial investment or real estate purchases,” he continued, “The idea of buying a passport from Dominica, a small island with a population of 72,000, has gained widespread popularity in the past three years among those looking for a safe and easy way to reach European Union countries, especially in the past year after the decline in migration routes via Belarus and through Turkey to reach EU countries. Nevertheless, the cost of obtaining Caribbean citizenship is high, as it starts at a minimum of $110,000.” However, Dominica suspended its citizenship program through investment (CBI) in the Kurdistan Region in 2022 due to suspicions of document forgery by applicants for Dominican citizenship from the region as well as “inappropriate advertisements” and trafficking in citizenship and Dominican passports by some companies that are “ not authorized agents,” said Emmanuel Nanthan, director of the program in Dominica, as reported by Rudaw Media Network.
Who is Nawwar Jassem Al Jubouri and What’s the Story Behind His Company Al Awsat?
Nawar Jassem Al Jubouri, a businessman implicated in the telecommunications corruption scandal, obtained Dominican citizenship in 2017, along with his wife and children. He is the General Manager of Al Awsat, a telecommunications company, and was accused of being involved with his wife, Lubna Majid Al Samari, in the Ericsson scandal in Iraq.
In an investigation as part of the “Ericsson Documents” cross-border project led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and contributed to by Daraj, and which covered the corruption of “Ericsson” in Iraq, including the company’s payment to the Islamic State (ISIS), it was revealed thatAl Awsat, owned by Jawhar Al Surji and Nawar Jassem Al Jubouri, assisted Ericsson in dealing with social security through tax evasion, “deceiving the social security administration,” “false registration” of “Al-Ous” employees as “Ericsson” employees, and “falsifying financial documents submitted to the authorities, where Ericsson deliberately manipulated documents related to costs.” According to the documents, Juhar Al Surji stated that his company provided many services to Ericsson, and the foreign company couldn’t operate in Iraq without the assistance of Al Awsat.
The investigation also revealed a systematic manipulation in the selection of suppliers by favoring the “Al-Ous” company in “Ericsson” projects. The documents also indicate that “Ericsson” paid “bribes” to the CEO of “Asiacell” to secure the “Beroza” project, and payments were made through the “Al-Ous” company.
Nawar Al Jubouri’s wife, Lubna, owns 70% of the shares of TUBA company along with her brother, Mohammed Majid, who owns 30% of the company’s shares. TUBA is a management and economic consulting company established in Baghdad in 2011. “Ericsson” paid a total of $30 million to the company from its inception until 2019. It is noteworthy that TUBA officially became a “supplier” for “Ericsson” just three weeks after registering in Iraq.
Nawar Al-Jubouri did not respond to our inquiries.
Key Events in Iraq in 2017:
A look at the Dominican citizenships indicates that all those mentioned in this investigation obtained Dominican citizenship in 2017, necessitating a look at the events of that year:
The Mosul War and the defeat of the Islamic State: The battle for Mosul began in October 2016 and continued for about nine months. Iraqi forces, supported by the U.S.-led coalition, liberated Mosul from the Islamic State’s control in July 2017. This was a significant turning point in the fight against the organization, and by the end of 2017, the Islamic State had lost control of all its major strongholds in Iraq.
The referendum by the Kurdistan Regional Government on independence: In September 2017, the Kurdistan Regional Government held a referendum on independence from Iraq. The results of the referendum overwhelmingly supported independence but were rejected by the Iraqi government and the international community. This referendum led to a crisis between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government and increased tensions.
Saudi-Iranian relations and their impact on political dynamics within Iraq.
Protests by the Sadrist movement, led by Muqtada al-Sadr, against corruption and calls for reforms in 2017, and protests in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan Region, demanding the fight against corruption and the resignation of the regional government.
Prominent Iraqi elites, politicians, and the wealthy found a pathway to the European Union through the Dominican Republic, while many Iraqis faced financial, political, and security crises and sought illegal immigration in a country that ranked 157 out of 180 countries on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. It’s likely that obtaining a second nationality itself could become a new door for corruption.
