Iraq: Embattled Finance Minister Zebari sacked

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD

Embattled Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari, facing accusations of financial and administrative corruption, was sacked Wednesday by Iraq’s Parliament.

Zebari lost a vote of confidence 185-77, with 14 abstentions, Iraqi MP Baker Amin told Anadolu Agency.

Haitham al-Jubouri, an MP for Iraq’s State of Law coalition, has accused Zebari of allocating state funds for his personal use, including some $2 million for his personal security detail.

Under the Iraqi Constitution and parliamentary bylaws, a government minister can be dismissed with the consent of an absolute majority of MPs.

Zebari’s dismissal comes one month after Parliament gave walking papers to Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, also due to corruption allegations.