Najah Hassan Ali al-Shammari (born 20 January 1967) is an Iraqi politician and military officer who served as the Minister of Defense from June 2019 to May 2020.[1][2][3] He holds Swedish citizenship.[4]
Najah al-Shammari | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 24 June 2019 – 6 May 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Adil Abdul-Mahdi |
| Preceded by | Erfan al-Hiyali |
| Succeeded by | Juma Inad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Najah Hassan Ali al-Shammari 20 January 1967 Baghdad, Iraqi Republic |
| Citizenship | Iraq Sweden (since 2015) |
| Political party | al-Wataniya (coalition) |
| Education | Iraqi Military Academy |
| Profession | Military officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Iraq |
| Branch/service | Iraqi Army |
| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | Iraqi Special Operations Forces |
Background edit
Al-Shammari was born in Baghdad.[2] He is a Sunni Arab[2] and a member of the Shammar tribe (one of the largest and most influential Arab tribes).[5] Al-Shammari graduated from the Iraqi Military Academy in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in military science.[2] He also has a master's degree in strategic planning for national security.[2] Al-Shammari later served as a commander in the Iraqi Special Operations Forces and has held many military positions from 2003 until 2007.[2] He retired in 2018 with the rank of major general.[2]
Defence minister edit
On June 24, 2019, al-Shammari was approved by the Iraqi parliament as defence minister of Iraq in Adil Abdul-Mahdi's cabinet.[1][2] He was nominated to the post by the al-Wataniya coalition, led by former prime minister and then vice president of Iraq Ayad Allawi.[2][6]
Reports of dual Iraqi-Swedish citizenship and criminal charges in Sweden edit
In April 2019, prior to the nomination of al-Shammari as a candidate for the post of defence minister, there were reports in Iraqi media that al-Shammari has dual Iraqi-Swedish citizenship.[6] The claims were rejected as false by a representative of the al-Wataniya coalition.[6]
In November 2019, the Swedish news website Nyheter Idag reported that al-Shammari is a Swedish citizen registered as a resident in a Stockholm suburb under an alternative surname (this surname was reported to be the name of al-Shammari's clan within the Shammar tribe).[4] According to the report, which was confirmed by Swedish authorities, al-Shammari applied for a residence permit in Sweden in 2009 and became a Swedish citizen in 2015.[4][7] It was also reported that al-Shammari was granted several state welfare benefits in Sweden, including full time sick leave, while he did not declare any (or for some years only very low) income from work.[4][7] He has also been the subject of several criminal investigations in Sweden, although he was never convicted of a crime.[4][7]
Al-Shammari was also accused of sexually harassing a Swedish 20-year-old male while being Defense Minister in leaked text messages,[8] although no other news sources have corroborated the allegation.
The Swedish police launched a preliminary investigation into benefit fraud and civil registration violations against al-Shammari after allegedly claiming child and housing support for years despite living in Baghdad.[9][10] The Swedish Prosecution Authority also announced that it had started an investigation for crimes against humanity against "an Iraqi minister", whom Swedish media identified as al-Shammari.[9][11] Criminal charges were subsequently dropped and al-Shammari returned to Sweden.[12]
On 18 March 2024, al-Shammari was arrested by Swedish police upon his arrival at Arlanda Airport on charges relating to the fraudulent welfare benefits.[13]
References edit
- ^ a b "Iraqi official: Parliament approves 3 key Cabinet ministers". Federalist News Network. Associated Press. 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Who are Abd al-Mahdi's new ministers of defense, interior, justice?". The Baghdad Post. 2019-06-24. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
- ^ "Meet Iraq's new Cabinet - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". 7 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Bergman, Jakob; Nilsson, Johannes (2019-11-19). "Iraks försvarsminister är svensk medborgare och folkbokförd i Stockholmsförort" [Iraq's defense minister is a Swedish citizen and is registered in Stockholm suburb]. Nyheter Idag (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- ^ Brinkemo, Per [@PerBrinkemo] (November 23, 2019). "Den nu omskrivna försvarsministern i Irak, Najah al-Shammari, kommer från en av de mest inflytelserika klanerna i regionen - Shammarklanen" [The now well-publicised defense minister in Iraq, Najah al-Shammari, comes from one of the most influential clans in the region - the Shammar clan.] (Tweet) (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-11-26 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c "Candidate to defense min. post not Swedish: Wataniya bloc". The Baghdad Post. 2019-04-08. Archived from the original on 2019-11-24. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
- ^ a b c Wikén, Johan; Björk, Helena (2019-11-22). "Iraks försvarsminister är svensk medborgare – folkbokförd i Stockholm" [Iraq's defense minister is a Swedish citizen - registered in Stockholm]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ^ "Sex, Fraud and Abuse: Iraqi Defense Minister Implicated in Swedish Scandal Amid Political Unrest".
- ^ a b Wikén, Johan (2019-11-25). "Polisen bekräftar utredning mot Iraks försvarsminister" [Police confirm investigation into Iraq's defense minister]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Iraq's defence minister 'reported for alleged benefits fraud in Sweden'". The Local. 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Swedish prosecutors investigate Iraqi minister for 'crimes against humanity'". The Local. 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Försvarsministern tillbaka i Sverige efter skandalerna" [The Minister of Defense returns to Sweden after scandals]. Expressen (in Swedish). 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
- ^ "Iraq's former defense minister wanted in Sweden for fraud is arrested at the Stockholm airport". Associated Press. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.