All of Iraq is listening. Dozens of political audio recordings will soon be broadcast
30 Jan 2025
Leaked political recordings occasionally surface publicly in Iraq. More will be broadcast in the coming days. But how many are there? And who are the targets?
Iraqis heard about political leaks for the first time in 2012 after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. These leaks included audio and video. It was not a surprise who was accused.
During his second term, former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki claimed his adversaries were Sunnis with Baathist and terrorist backgrounds. During a time, which was considered by many to be undemocratic, Al-Maliki shaped public opinion. He opposed any coalition led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and described Tariq Al-Hashimi, a Sunni politician with Baathist leanings, as extremist and Islamist.
Audio and video leaks at the time confirmed Al-Maliki’s accusations against Al-Hashimi and Allawi’s camps. The first leak pointed to Tariq Al-Hashimi. The recordings revealed that routine meetings were taking place at Al-Hashimi’s house with Iyad Allawi and Osama Al-Nujaifi, the Speaker of Parliament at the time. Al-Nujaifi also fits Al-Maliki’s characterisation of his opponents. The recordings dated back two years before their release, which coincided with political preparations led by Allawi and Kurdish forces, later joined by Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist Movement, aiming to overthrow Al-Maliki.
A portion of the recording featured a conversation between Al-Hashimi, who was then the Vice President, and Allawi about political matters. This included Allawi’s meeting with the Shiite cleric Ali Al-Sistani and other religious figures in Najaf.
Due to the poor audio quality of the recording, it did not reveal any insulting remarks by the two men about the clerics, contrary to claims propagated by media outlets close to Al-Maliki.
The judiciary at the time did not investigate the content of the video or who recorded and leaked it.
A source close to Al-Hashimi later accused the Americans of planting devices in his house, which had previously been used as a base for U.S. forces. The source also denied Allawi’s intention to file a lawsuit against Al-Maliki for promoting the recording and stated that the judiciary was biased towards Al-Maliki.
Kurdish sources also told the media at the time that the Iraqi government was spying on political parties and figures. The matter was left unresolved.
Tishreen leaks
During the October 2019 protests, later referred to as the Tishreen Uprising, Tishreen Movement, or Tishreen Protests, an audio recording of former MP Izzat Al-Shabandar surfaced.
Protesters in Tahrir Square, central Baghdad, had displayed a large poster featuring Iraqi politicians, including Al-Shabandar, to express their rejection of their nominations for the position of Prime Minister.
The next day, Al-Shabandar verbally attacked the protestors in the Turkish Restaurant building in Tahrir Square through a leaked audio recording, using offensive language against them. The Turkish restaurant was a key symbol of the popular protests that swept the cities of central and southern Iraq.
In the leaked recording, Al-Shabandar described the protesters as “scoundrels, bandits, drug users, and practitioners of homosexuality and adultery,” He also criticised some politicians, describing them as “feeling inferior, filthy, and biased”.
No investigation was conducted into the content or source of the leak, despite former Sadrist MP Ghalib Al-Omari filing a lawsuit against Al-Shabandar for the recording, which included insults directed at Muqtada Al-Sadr and his followers.
In the same period, based on another leaked recording, the Hillah Investigation Court issued an arrest warrant in October 2019 for Raad Al-Jubouri, the former head of Babil’s Provincial Council.
The recording contained instructions from Al-Jubouri to security forces for them to use excessive force against protesters and even arrest them without warrants.
Al-Jubouri claimed the recording was fabricated, and no reports of subsequent investigations have emerged.
A faction spying
Three months before the Tishreen Uprising, a senior military commander in Anbar was on the verge of facing the death penalty on charges of espionage for a foreign country.
In July 2019, the intelligence unit of Kata’ib Hezbollah, a faction of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), announced that it had spied on individuals it described as agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Iraq. The faction threatened to reveal a long list of “traitors in the north and west,” according to a statement issued that year.
Media outlets affiliated with Kata’ib Hezbollah released an audio recording, allegedly of Lieutenant General Mahmoud Al-Falahi, the then-Commander of Anbar Operations, claiming it was a phone conversation between him and a CIA operative.
The recording reportedly included a request from the alleged CIA agent for Al-Falahi to provide the locations of Kata’ib Hezbollah forces in the Al-Qaim district of western Anbar, supposedly to pass them on to Israel for airstrikes.
After the audio clip had been circulated, Najah al-Shammari, the Minister of Defense, formed an investigative committee.
In August of that year, Al-Shammari announced in a press conference that the investigations had cleared Al-Falahi of the accusations. However, no inquiry was initiated into the legality of Kata’ib Hezbollah’s espionage activities.
Kata’ib Hezbollah accused the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad of intervening to protect Al-Falahi.
Buying votes
During the 2018 parliamentary elections, an audio recording revealed a potential breach in the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) procedures. The commission later denied the accusations.
The leaked recording was attributed to Wadah Al-Sidid, Secretary General of Tajamu’ Al-Izza Al-Watani, in a conversation with former MP Shatha Al-Abousi. The discussion reportedly revolved around the possibility of purchasing a parliamentary seat for a significant sum of money to be paid to an American company.
In response, the Electoral Commission issued a statement detailing its technical procedures to prevent fraud and called for an investigation into the leaked recording. However, no investigations were announced regarding the content of the recording or the identity of those who recorded and leaked it.
Ali Fadhil leaks
In 2022, Iraqi blogger Ali Fadhil, residing in the United States, shocked public opinion with a series of audio recordings involving former MPs, ministers, and prime ministers.
Some recordings involved Ahmed Al-Jubouri, known as Abu Mazen, who held various positions, including minister, MP, and governor of Salah Al-Din.
Three recordings related to Al-Jubouri gained attention. One dealt with the appointment of judges. Another discussed large sums of money and the purchase of armoured vehicles for members of the Salah Al-Din Provincial Council. A third featured former Minister of Industry Saleh Al-Jubouri swearing on the Quran to follow Ahmed Al-Jubouri’s directives in managing the ministry.
The judiciary announced investigations into some of the recordings but later provided no updates or rulings regarding the case.
The leaked recordings of Nouri Al-Maliki were the most significant in Ali Fadhil’s series of leaks.
In 2022, Fadhil released seven recordings of Al-Maliki on his YouTube channel. The recordings included derogatory remarks about the PMF and attacks on Muqtada Al-Sadr.
The leaks sparked outrage from Al-Sadr, who demanded in July of that year that Al-Maliki retire from politics and turn himself in to the judiciary.
Following this, the Sadrist parliamentary bloc filed a lawsuit against Al-Maliki, seeking his prosecution under anti-terrorism laws.
The same month, the Judicial Council announced opening an investigation regarding Al-Maliki based on the leaks. However, no updates were provided until three months later, when Judge Jaafar al-Mousawi announced that Al-Maliki had been released on bail.
In November 2022, Jummar reported details of Al-Maliki’s brief appearance before the Karkh Court in Baghdad for investigation regarding this case, but that only lasted a few minutes before he was released on bail.
Al-Sudani’s circle
The whistle for this year’s marathon of leaks was blown last August when the Wiretapping Network was revealed within Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s office.
Al-Sudani later dismissed the network as “the lie of the century”.
A political source told Jummar that 250 audio recordings of Iraqi politicians and officials are set to be released gradually. Almost all of the recordings involve individuals in Al-Sudani’s inner circle.
Fadi Al-Shammari, Al-Sudani’s political advisor, suspects that “Israel might be behind these leaks to create chaos in Iraq.” He added, “Cyber armies are responsible for disseminating these recordings, with six accounts publishing them simultaneously across multiple platforms.”
According to al-Shammari, the recordings have been referred to security agencies for investigation.
Former Acting Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Haider Hanoun, was investigated following a leaked recording involving him in bribery. Hanoun has not been prosecuted yet but was removed from his position and appointed as an advisor at the Ministry of Justice.
Wad Alawi, appointed by Al-Sudani as head of the Tax Authority, was also investigated over audio recordings attributed to him, but he has not been prosecuted so far.
Another leaked recording involving Abdul Karim Al-Faisal, Al-Sudani’s senior advisor, surfaced, but no investigation has been conducted. The government has denied the authenticity of the recording.
Yazan Al-Jubouri, another advisor to Al-Sudani, was investigated concerning a leaked recording but was released, according to his father, former MP Mishaan Al-Jubouri.
Audio recordings of MP Alia Nassif were also leaked after she hinted at joining Al-Sudani following her split from Al-Maliki. However, there is no information about any recent investigations into these leaks.
There’s more
MP Sarwa Abdul Wahid, a member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, stated that new corruption leaks are expected to come out soon. In a statement to Jummar, she said that the current leaks “will not stop here”.
The judiciary had previously sentenced Mohammed Juhi and Ali Al-Mutair, employees in Al-Sudani’s office accused of spying, to four years in prison. This ruling damaged Al-Sudani’s credibility while reinforcing the claims of those who proclaim the validity of the leaked recordings associated with his advisors.
MP Mustafa Al-Karawi emphasised the need to be cautious when making phone calls following these leaks. He told Jummar, “Some phone conversations are merely pleasantries or jokes. But they can be exploited maliciously to harm people.” He urged the judiciary to act decisively and issue an apology to those proven innocent.
MP Amer Abdul Jabbar speculated that some leaks might surface and disappear, only to be used later for political purposes or blackmail. Speaking to Jummar, Abdul Jabbar questioned the identity of those leaking the recordings. He stressed the importance of severe penalties for individuals whose voices are confirmed as this would be classed as engaging in corrupt practices.
However, post-2003 experiences in Iraq suggest that influential individuals often evade accountability. For instance, former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has faced no repercussions despite indirectly acknowledging the validity of recordings attributed to him. When asked on November 13, 2024, about leaks during Al-Sudani’s government, Al-Maliki smiled and responded:
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Iraqis heard about political leaks for the first time in 2012 after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. These leaks included audio and video. It was not a surprise who was accused.
During his second term, former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki claimed his adversaries were Sunnis with Baathist and terrorist backgrounds. During a time, which was considered by many to be undemocratic, Al-Maliki shaped public opinion. He opposed any coalition led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and described Tariq Al-Hashimi, a Sunni politician with Baathist leanings, as extremist and Islamist.
Audio and video leaks at the time confirmed Al-Maliki’s accusations against Al-Hashimi and Allawi’s camps. The first leak pointed to Tariq Al-Hashimi. The recordings revealed that routine meetings were taking place at Al-Hashimi’s house with Iyad Allawi and Osama Al-Nujaifi, the Speaker of Parliament at the time. Al-Nujaifi also fits Al-Maliki’s characterisation of his opponents. The recordings dated back two years before their release, which coincided with political preparations led by Allawi and Kurdish forces, later joined by Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist Movement, aiming to overthrow Al-Maliki.
A portion of the recording featured a conversation between Al-Hashimi, who was then the Vice President, and Allawi about political matters. This included Allawi’s meeting with the Shiite cleric Ali Al-Sistani and other religious figures in Najaf.
Due to the poor audio quality of the recording, it did not reveal any insulting remarks by the two men about the clerics, contrary to claims propagated by media outlets close to Al-Maliki.
The judiciary at the time did not investigate the content of the video or who recorded and leaked it.
A source close to Al-Hashimi later accused the Americans of planting devices in his house, which had previously been used as a base for U.S. forces. The source also denied Allawi’s intention to file a lawsuit against Al-Maliki for promoting the recording and stated that the judiciary was biased towards Al-Maliki.
Kurdish sources also told the media at the time that the Iraqi government was spying on political parties and figures. The matter was left unresolved.
Tishreen leaks
During the October 2019 protests, later referred to as the Tishreen Uprising, Tishreen Movement, or Tishreen Protests, an audio recording of former MP Izzat Al-Shabandar surfaced.
Protesters in Tahrir Square, central Baghdad, had displayed a large poster featuring Iraqi politicians, including Al-Shabandar, to express their rejection of their nominations for the position of Prime Minister.
The next day, Al-Shabandar verbally attacked the protestors in the Turkish Restaurant building in Tahrir Square through a leaked audio recording, using offensive language against them. The Turkish restaurant was a key symbol of the popular protests that swept the cities of central and southern Iraq.
In the leaked recording, Al-Shabandar described the protesters as “scoundrels, bandits, drug users, and practitioners of homosexuality and adultery,” He also criticised some politicians, describing them as “feeling inferior, filthy, and biased”.
No investigation was conducted into the content or source of the leak, despite former Sadrist MP Ghalib Al-Omari filing a lawsuit against Al-Shabandar for the recording, which included insults directed at Muqtada Al-Sadr and his followers.
In the same period, based on another leaked recording, the Hillah Investigation Court issued an arrest warrant in October 2019 for Raad Al-Jubouri, the former head of Babil’s Provincial Council.
The recording contained instructions from Al-Jubouri to security forces for them to use excessive force against protesters and even arrest them without warrants.
Al-Jubouri claimed the recording was fabricated, and no reports of subsequent investigations have emerged.
A faction spying
Three months before the Tishreen Uprising, a senior military commander in Anbar was on the verge of facing the death penalty on charges of espionage for a foreign country.
In July 2019, the intelligence unit of Kata’ib Hezbollah, a faction of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), announced that it had spied on individuals it described as agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Iraq. The faction threatened to reveal a long list of “traitors in the north and west,” according to a statement issued that year.
Media outlets affiliated with Kata’ib Hezbollah released an audio recording, allegedly of Lieutenant General Mahmoud Al-Falahi, the then-Commander of Anbar Operations, claiming it was a phone conversation between him and a CIA operative.
The recording reportedly included a request from the alleged CIA agent for Al-Falahi to provide the locations of Kata’ib Hezbollah forces in the Al-Qaim district of western Anbar, supposedly to pass them on to Israel for airstrikes.
After the audio clip had been circulated, Najah al-Shammari, the Minister of Defense, formed an investigative committee.
In August of that year, Al-Shammari announced in a press conference that the investigations had cleared Al-Falahi of the accusations. However, no inquiry was initiated into the legality of Kata’ib Hezbollah’s espionage activities.
Kata’ib Hezbollah accused the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad of intervening to protect Al-Falahi.
Buying votes
During the 2018 parliamentary elections, an audio recording revealed a potential breach in the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) procedures. The commission later denied the accusations.
The leaked recording was attributed to Wadah Al-Sidid, Secretary General of Tajamu’ Al-Izza Al-Watani, in a conversation with former MP Shatha Al-Abousi. The discussion reportedly revolved around the possibility of purchasing a parliamentary seat for a significant sum of money to be paid to an American company.
In response, the Electoral Commission issued a statement detailing its technical procedures to prevent fraud and called for an investigation into the leaked recording. However, no investigations were announced regarding the content of the recording or the identity of those who recorded and leaked it.
Ali Fadhil leaks
In 2022, Iraqi blogger Ali Fadhil, residing in the United States, shocked public opinion with a series of audio recordings involving former MPs, ministers, and prime ministers.
Some recordings involved Ahmed Al-Jubouri, known as Abu Mazen, who held various positions, including minister, MP, and governor of Salah Al-Din.
Three recordings related to Al-Jubouri gained attention. One dealt with the appointment of judges. Another discussed large sums of money and the purchase of armoured vehicles for members of the Salah Al-Din Provincial Council. A third featured former Minister of Industry Saleh Al-Jubouri swearing on the Quran to follow Ahmed Al-Jubouri’s directives in managing the ministry.
The judiciary announced investigations into some of the recordings but later provided no updates or rulings regarding the case.
The leaked recordings of Nouri Al-Maliki were the most significant in Ali Fadhil’s series of leaks.
In 2022, Fadhil released seven recordings of Al-Maliki on his YouTube channel. The recordings included derogatory remarks about the PMF and attacks on Muqtada Al-Sadr.
The leaks sparked outrage from Al-Sadr, who demanded in July of that year that Al-Maliki retire from politics and turn himself in to the judiciary.
Following this, the Sadrist parliamentary bloc filed a lawsuit against Al-Maliki, seeking his prosecution under anti-terrorism laws.
The same month, the Judicial Council announced opening an investigation regarding Al-Maliki based on the leaks. However, no updates were provided until three months later, when Judge Jaafar al-Mousawi announced that Al-Maliki had been released on bail.
In November 2022, Jummar reported details of Al-Maliki’s brief appearance before the Karkh Court in Baghdad for investigation regarding this case, but that only lasted a few minutes before he was released on bail.
Al-Sudani’s circle
The whistle for this year’s marathon of leaks was blown last August when the Wiretapping Network was revealed within Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s office.
Al-Sudani later dismissed the network as “the lie of the century”.
A political source told Jummar that 250 audio recordings of Iraqi politicians and officials are set to be released gradually. Almost all of the recordings involve individuals in Al-Sudani’s inner circle.
Fadi Al-Shammari, Al-Sudani’s political advisor, suspects that “Israel might be behind these leaks to create chaos in Iraq.” He added, “Cyber armies are responsible for disseminating these recordings, with six accounts publishing them simultaneously across multiple platforms.”
According to al-Shammari, the recordings have been referred to security agencies for investigation.
Former Acting Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Haider Hanoun, was investigated following a leaked recording involving him in bribery. Hanoun has not been prosecuted yet but was removed from his position and appointed as an advisor at the Ministry of Justice.
Wad Alawi, appointed by Al-Sudani as head of the Tax Authority, was also investigated over audio recordings attributed to him, but he has not been prosecuted so far.
Another leaked recording involving Abdul Karim Al-Faisal, Al-Sudani’s senior advisor, surfaced, but no investigation has been conducted. The government has denied the authenticity of the recording.
Yazan Al-Jubouri, another advisor to Al-Sudani, was investigated concerning a leaked recording but was released, according to his father, former MP Mishaan Al-Jubouri.
Audio recordings of MP Alia Nassif were also leaked after she hinted at joining Al-Sudani following her split from Al-Maliki. However, there is no information about any recent investigations into these leaks.
There’s more
MP Sarwa Abdul Wahid, a member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, stated that new corruption leaks are expected to come out soon. In a statement to Jummar, she said that the current leaks “will not stop here”.
The judiciary had previously sentenced Mohammed Juhi and Ali Al-Mutair, employees in Al-Sudani’s office accused of spying, to four years in prison. This ruling damaged Al-Sudani’s credibility while reinforcing the claims of those who proclaim the validity of the leaked recordings associated with his advisors.
MP Mustafa Al-Karawi emphasised the need to be cautious when making phone calls following these leaks. He told Jummar, “Some phone conversations are merely pleasantries or jokes. But they can be exploited maliciously to harm people.” He urged the judiciary to act decisively and issue an apology to those proven innocent.
MP Amer Abdul Jabbar speculated that some leaks might surface and disappear, only to be used later for political purposes or blackmail. Speaking to Jummar, Abdul Jabbar questioned the identity of those leaking the recordings. He stressed the importance of severe penalties for individuals whose voices are confirmed as this would be classed as engaging in corrupt practices.
However, post-2003 experiences in Iraq suggest that influential individuals often evade accountability. For instance, former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has faced no repercussions despite indirectly acknowledging the validity of recordings attributed to him. When asked on November 13, 2024, about leaks during Al-Sudani’s government, Al-Maliki smiled and responded: