British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked Conservative Party leader Nazim Al-Zahawi from his position in the government (minister without portfolio) today, Sunday, after an independent investigation into his tax affairs concluded that he had committed a serious breach of the ministerial code of conduct.
Al-Zahawi has faced pressure over the past few days to resign, as questions have increased about his financial affairs, even after he issued a statement to "clear some confusion."
The British minister paid a fine to resolve a tax dispute worth millions of pounds while he was in charge of the Treasury, according to British Sky News.
Al-Zahawi has previously described himself as being "negligent" in his tax affairs, after a report was issued stating that he had billed £4.8 million ($6 million) to HMH.
On January 23, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordered an investigation into tax matters related to Zahawi, as a new wave of allegations of financial irregularities in the ruling party undermined Sunak's pledge of impeccable management.
relations with Kurdistan
A few days ago, The Times newspaper published a report in which it said that the head of the British Conservative Party, Nazim Al-Zahawi, had collected 1.3 pounds sterling from his relations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The newspaper said that Al-Zahawi established relations with the Barzani family, and became the preferred advisor for companies seeking to contact the family.
Al-Zahawi also supervised the organization of training courses in Britain for the children of officials in Iraqi Kurdistan, and he was involved in a British company in which the son of an Iraqi official owns a large share of the shares.
The report indicates that Al-Zahawi visited Iraqi Kurdistan in 2011 several times, and held meetings with Massoud Barzani and Barham Salih, who became president of Iraq, and was accompanied on one of his visits to Erbil by 70 businessmen.