The Iraqi judicial authorities have decided to confiscate the property of former Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail on charges of abuse of office and fraud.
The decision came after an investigative court accused Ismail of abusing his position and accepting bribes from some investors that had contracts with the ministry, local media has reported.
Ismail served as Minister of Oil in 2020 in the government of former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Before that, he was the Director-General of the state-owned Basra Oil Company.
According to media reports earlier this year, the Iraqi judiciary had looked into allegations against Ismail, including the seizure and illegal sale of the oil ministry-owned lands in Baghdad and the southern city of Basra.
There were also allegations that he had demanded payments from foreign firms in exchange for awarding contracts.
