As an application to the transparency principle and to inform the public opinion about CoI’s latest investigative procedures in the so-called Unaoil case, CoI publishes what can legally be published about its investigations in the case in order to inform the public and remove the confusion and ambiguity some attempt to add to its details. CoI points out that the high-level investigative team - it had established by the membership of CoI Deputy Commissioner, IG of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IG of the Ministry of Oil, DG of the Legal Office at the Federal Board of Supreme Audit (BSA) and the two DGs of CoI’s Legal Office and Office of Investigations, to investigate the information issued by Fairfax Media and Huffington Post – is still working hard to complete the investigation under the supervision of the competent investigative judge after CoI completed its investigative procedures and referred the case to justice. During the last period of the work of the team, the statements of those involved in the case were recorded, inspection and investigation were conducted the site of (Unaoil) and (Leighton Offshore) in Baghdad, and no locations of the two companies in Baghdad were found, contrary to what is registered at the Company Registrar. In addition, all the international and local companies, mentioned in the press reports published by these two agencies, were called. The team also coordinated with CoI’s Office of Prevention to carry out the judicial decision that calls to check on the financial belongings of the concerned persons as well as all those mentioned in the case, in order to take the legal actions against any person proved responsible by the investigations. The coordination is still under way by the team members under the supervision of the competent investigative judge with the United Kingdom, Australia And the United States of America, in order to provide the investigative team with what those countries have available in terms of information relating to the case, as a coordinator has been appointed for the investigative team so as to directly communicate with the Iraqi embassies in those countries to clarify their final position on the case.

The investigative team in the second part of its work, took the statements of a number of concerned persons, witnesses, as well as other owners of companies and their officials, including the former Deputy of Prime Minister, the former Minister of Oil, the former Director General of the South Oil Company, the former Director General of South Refineries Company, The former director of the project of increasing potential and the head of the Office of Security Clearance at Ministry of Oil with a number of other persons named in the investigation or summoned to testify in the case. After completing the investigative procedures, the investigation team referred the case to the competent court and after coordination and direct work between the team and the competent investigating judge, he issued on 11/12/2017, an arrest and detection warrant against the fugitive culprit (Uday Nader Abdul Karim al-Quraishi), the Director of the project of increasing potential, which is the same project sued in accordance with the provisions of Article 340 P.C for concluding and implementing the contract above-mentioned. While the competent investigating judge decided to issue an arrest, warrant against other defendants, (Basil Al-Jarrah) the director of the branch of Una Oil in Iraq and the head of the former engineering body in the South Oil Company in accordance with the provisions of Article 340 P.C. The judge has decided to address the concerned police directorates at the provinces of Basra and Kirkuk, to implement the arrest warrant against the accused mentioned above and brought them upon the arrest before the investigating judge as well as addressing CoI’s Extradition Office to open a file to extradite them.

Team`s investigations proved that the case had begun since 2012, where there was information at that time about corruption allegations concerning the contract of increasing export potential singed between South Oil Company and Leighton Offshore, that would led to the Deputy Prime Minister for Energy to address the Inspector General of the Ministry, at the time, calling upon investigation of these allegations while keeping the Ministry informed, accordingly, a team of IG`s office, the director of contracts and tenders and director of IG`s inspection department of Ministry of Oil and the directors of Inspection, contracts, financial department in the AL-Basra Governorate was formed. The investigation concluded to address the Australian Federal Police concerning the subject and reconsider dealing with the Unaoil and lighten offshore Company in future until the issue is resolved. The follow up with South Oil Company was continued for disclosing its contracts with Unaoil and lighten offshore Company and it was recorded as a criminal case in COI under the no.841c32013. The results of investigations were presented before the investigation court on corruption cases/Basra. The said court rejected the complaint and closed the investigation permanently for incorrect information.

COI, while it informing the public opinion with the latest findings of its high-level investigative team investigate the case, which is currently under the supervision of the competent investigating Judge, confirms that investigations are continuing at the international level after investigations of the case have been completed at the time of coordination with other states are in going, which called it for supporting of international experts in order to remove some of the obstacles it faced particularly in issues of international dimension including the issue under consideration .COI did not receive any new information from international experts regarding the issue. End