Yesterday, Monday, Iraqi President Barham Salih withdrew an amnesty given to Jawad Louay Jawad al-Yasiri, son of the former governor of Najaf (south) who was convicted of drug smuggling, and demanded his arrest after the pardon decision caused great indignation in Iraq, and widespread political and popular criticism.
And in the middle of last week, Saleh issued two republican decrees pardoning al-Yasiri and his gang.
And the Iraqi presidency said - in a statement on Monday - that the President of the Republic directed the withdrawal of the two Republican decrees No. (1, 2) during an urgent meeting with the investigative committee formed in the Presidency of the Republic about them.
She explained that Saleh instructed the judicial authorities to take the necessary measures after withdrawing the two Republican decrees, and to address the Ministries of Justice and Interior to arrest the convicts and place them in correctional institutions.
Saleh said - according to the statement - that we will not tolerate the dangerous challenge of promoting drugs, their trade and those who are convicts, and we will never hesitate to correct what may be tainted by presidential decrees or orders of abuse or legal violations, as long as they will contribute to the security and stability of society.
In January 2018, the Iraqi security authorities arrested a drug-trafficking gang in the capital, Baghdad, consisting of 3 people, one of whom was the son of the governor of Najaf at the time, Louay Jawad al-Yasiri, who had 8 kilograms of narcotics in their possession.
The judiciary issued a sentence of life imprisonment and obligated them to pay a fine of 30 million dinars ($25,000).
The three received an undisclosed presidential pardon on January 10, and were released.
But the issue has recently returned to the fore, after it provoked condemnation, which prompted the Iraqi presidency to request the opening of an investigation.
The special amnesty issued to the son of the former governor of Najaf, Jawad Louay Al-Yasiri, based on the recommendation received by the Presidency of the Republic, according to the letter of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers (Hamid Al-Ghazi) pic.twitter.com/ZRL2tKuOkC
— Ahmad Al-Washah (@JeMAnLosleXaTnd) February 26, 2022
Representatives and journalists denounced this presidential pardon, considering it a political deal linked to the resignation of Louay Jawad al-Yasiri, the father of the accused, from his position as governor of Najaf.
Al-Yasiri announced his resignation after accusations of corruption, and defended in a press conference his son, who "had gone victim to his conservative father," adding, "I swear to God that he is innocent."
Following the criticism, the Presidency of the Republic indicated that the amnesty decision was based on recommendations from the Iraqi government.