Iraqi court sentences Oil Products Chief Hussein Talib to 8 years, orders 55B IQD restitution

The headquarters of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad. Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi court sentenced Hussein Talib, Director General of the Oil Products Distribution Company (OPDC), to eight years in prison after convicting him of illicit profiting from commercial contracts associated with the North Refineries Company (NRC), while ordering him to reimburse 55 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $36 million). In a formal statement obtained by the 964 Network on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Federal Integrity Commission confirmed that the judicial ruling issued an eight-year custodial sentence against Talib for using his executive authority to unlawfully benefit from North Refineries contracts, alongside the mandatory restitution of the 55-billion-dinar sum misappropriated in the scheme. The conviction follows Talib’s arrest in Baghdad on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, by a specialized security force executing a judicial warrant linked to public corruption investigations. The detention occurred hours before Talib—a senior figure affiliated with the National Wisdom Movement (Hikma)—was scheduled to take the constitutional oath in the Council of Representatives as a substitute lawmaker replacing Ammar Moussa under the National State Powers Coalition list for Baghdad Governorate. Following his arrest in July, the National Wisdom Movement issued a statement backing state anti-corruption enforcement, emphasizing that legal accountability is strictly personal and affirming the judiciary’s sole authority in adjudicating the case. The investigation and sentencing form part of an expanded anti-graft drive launched under Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi’s administration, targeting current and former senior state officials implicated in financial wrongdoing across federal ministries.