Judiciary acquits Halbusi, paving way for political comeback

The Iraqi judiciary’s decision to acquit Mohammed Al-Halbusi of charges that led to his 2023 dismissal as speaker of parliament will have major implications for the Sunni political landscape. The announcement, made by his Taqaddum Party on Sunday, comes as Iraq approaches a critical period of coalition-forming ahead of upcoming elections.

Halbusi served as Speaker of Parliament from September 2018 until his ouster in November 2023. His dismissal followed a lawsuit filed by MP Laith Al-Dulaimi, who accused Halbusi of forging his resignation letter—a charge that led the Federal Supreme Court to terminate both their parliamentary memberships. Halbusi was also under investigation for contracting with the DC-based lobbying firm BGR, after rivals accused him of promoting normalization with Israel because one of BGR’s advisors is former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak.