Iraqi defense minister subject of war crime investigation

Publicerad 2019-11-25

Iraqi defense minister and Swedish citizen Najah al-Shammari is being investigated by Swedish authorities for war crimes, according to sources.

This has also been confirmed by the prosecutor’s office, Monday afternoon.

After reports that Iraqi defense minister Najah al-Shammari is a Swedish citizen who has been on sick leave in Sweden, Aftonbladet can now reveal that he is being investigated for war crimes.

According to sources an investigation has been opened concerning genocide and war crimes. After Aftonbladet published this story, this was also confirmed Monday afternoon by the Swedish public prosecutor’s office for international and organized crimes.

Al-Shammari, who is registered under a different name in Sweden, is also a suspect in an investigation concerning registration crimes and subsidy fraud.

Claim responsibility

Aftonbladet has spoken to several Swedes with Iraqi backgrounds who claim that al-Shammari has the ultimate responsibility of the high death rate among protesters in Iraq, who have been revolting against what the call the corrupt regime.

At least 330 persons have died since the protests erupted in October.

One of the exiled Iraqis has reported al-Shammari to the police accusing him of war crimes.

– He is holding an important position in a corrupt government that is exercising a massacre on the persons practising their legal rights according to Iraqi law, the person says.

Al-Shammari, who is registered under a different name in Sweden, is also a suspect in an investigation concerning registration crimes and subsidy fraud.

Not the first time

This is not the first time al-Shammari is the subject of criminal investigations.

After arriving in Sweden 2009, according to the Swedish tax agency, he has been the suspect of fraud allegations in 2015 and was arrested in 2016 for several cases of serious crimes during a longer period of time.

Both of these investigations were closed without action.

After the news reports about al-Shammari being a Swedish citizen, the Iraqi defense ministry took to Facebook to announce al-Shammari might sue Swedish and Arabic news media.

Swedish version of the article.

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