Mohammed al-Halbousi, the corrupt political money boy and creator of the false Sunni leadership myth
Mohammed al-Halbousi, the corrupt political money boy and creator of the false Sunni leadership myth
7-1-2025
Information / Exclusive:
As Iraq experiences unprecedented political turmoil, the name of Mohammed al-Halbousi, former Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Progress Alliance, has emerged as one of the most prominent figures accused of political and financial corruption.
From an administrative man in Anbar to the “prince of political money,” some observers have described him as the “boy of political money,” a reference to the Gulf financial support that propelled him to the top of the Sunni hierarchy, after he ousted Sunni political hawks with suspicious financial acumen.
Origins of his rise and external funding
: According to sources close to Sunni political alliances, al-Halbousi began asserting himself in 2017 as a new face supported by the Gulf, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The most prominent funding his campaigns received
: The UAE: approximately $120 million in direct support during the last parliamentary elections (2021), including media coverage and tribal influence networks.
Turkey: through economic networks and local arms in Anbar and Mosul.
Kuwait and Qatar: Indirect ties via investors who participated in “recycling funds” for infrastructure projects that were never implemented.
*Al-Halbousi’s Financial Empire: Where’s the Money Hiding?
Local and international investigations indicate that Mohammed al-Halbousi owns a fortune exceeding $10 billion, distributed as follows: state accounts and estimates; UAE personal accounts; front companies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai; and Turkey via real estate companies registered in the names of relatives and political associates. He also owns bank accounts in the names of “second figures” from his office, as well as real estate, land, and construction contracts in Anbar, Nineveh, Salah al-Din, and Basra.
All of this wealth is directly linked to fictitious reconstruction contracts and the disbursement of reconstruction fund funds in Anbar, Nineveh, and Salah al-Din. His involvement in cases related to fictitious appointments and salaries for former ISIS fighters (according to parliamentary reports) points to systematic “political blackmail” within the Sunni heartland.
Local press reports revealed the existence of more than 200 fake gypsum factories in Anbar province, directly linked to Mohammed al-Halbousi, with total sums of money being wasted totaling nearly 900 billion dinars. Iraqi MPs also accused al-Halbousi of corruption, including vote-buying, suspicious donations, and interference in land issues, which led to legal proceedings against him.
The Integrity Commission and judicial authorities announced the opening of corruption and financial and political blackmail cases against al-Halbousi, including bribes, threats, kickbacks, and embezzlement of reconstruction funds in Anbar, Salah al-Din, and Nineveh. Investigations also revealed Halbousi’s involvement in the so-called “second theft of the century,” exaggerating corruption in land distribution and projects, and the arrests of officials close to him as part of an integrity campaign.
An inevitable political downfall?
After the Federal Court’s November 2023 decision to remove him from the speakership of parliament on the grounds of forgery, Halbousi lost the official cover he had long used as a tool for negotiating with Shiite and Kurdish forces. Amid deep divisions within Sunni forces, signs of his eroding influence within the Iraqi parliament, and rising voices accusing him of national treason and manipulating public funds, Halbousi faces a bleak political phase. While he was once promoted as a “new Sunni civilian face,” today a darker picture is emerging: that of a political businessman accused of involvement in the largest corruption case known to the liberated areas after ISIS, in addition to his transgressions against Sunni political and tribal figures.
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