Exiled Sunni politician to be nominated as Iraq’s defense minister: source

[Valin]

Asharq Al-Awsat:

Elements sought to be seeking rehabilitation of Rafie Al-Issawi in order to nominate him for cabinet post

Ma'ad Fayad

Tuesday, 30 Sep, 2014

 

Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—“Serious steps” are being taken to clear an exiled Iraqi politician of terror charges as a prelude to his nomination as minister of defense, sources close to Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi informed Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday.

 

“Iraq’s judiciary and federal court have taken serious steps to secure the return of the leading Sunni figure and former minister of finance Rafie Al-Issawi to Iraq and to bring him to trial on the backdrop of terror charges levelled against him by former prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki as a prelude to acquitting and nominating him for the post of the minister of defense,” a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Asharq Al-Awsat.

 

According to the source, the step was supposed to take place last week, but Abadi preferred to delay it “for fear of the the Iraqi street opposing such a step, which may reduce his popularity within Shi’ite circles.”

 

Issawi, who served as minister of finance under Maliki between 2010 and 2013, was charged with corruption in April 2013 after resigning from the government the month before as protests among Iraq’s Sunni’s began to grow. He has criticized the charges as politically motivated.

 

While popular anger among Iraqi Sunnis had been increasing for some time, the arrest of one of Issawi’s bodyguards in December 2012 sparked the beginning of the major protests that took place in Sunni areas of Iraq throughout the following year.

 

(Snip)