Error occured during this request! Please try again later.
Kurdistan
New Generation founder Shaswar Abdulwahid speaks at a gathering of his supporters in Sulaimani in 2018. Photo: Abdulwahid's Facebook page
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Sulaimani court has issued an arrest warrant for New Generation leader and Chavy Land amusement park owner Shaswar Abdulwahid, after complaints of fraud and deception were made by shareholders.
The Sulaimani Investigative Court authorized the judiciary and police to "arrest the accused and refer him to the court," according to a copy of the warrant dated July 28 and obtained by Rudaw.
Court spokesperson Judge Omer Ahmed confirmed to Rudaw that the warrant comes after complaints filed by Chavy Land stakeholders.
In comments to the Abdulwahid-owned outlet NRT, the party’s media officer downplayed the warrant, saying "we are adamant that the motive behind this complaint and such pressures are to force us to surrender to the establishment, but we will not sell ourselves out."
Chavy Land stakeholders in a protest they waged in on May 23, 2019 announced in a statement that since the project was established in 2011, they had only been paid twice.
The Sulaimani Investigative Court authorized the judiciary and police to "arrest the accused and refer him to the court," according to a copy of the warrant dated July 28 and obtained by Rudaw.
Issued under Law No. 456 of the Iraqi Penal Code, the warrant pertains to the “acquisition of property through fraud.” If convicted, Abdulwahid could serve three months to five years behind bars.
Court spokesperson Judge Omer Ahmed confirmed to Rudaw that the warrant comes after complaints filed by Chavy Land stakeholders.
In comments to the Abdulwahid-owned outlet NRT, the party’s media officer downplayed the warrant, saying "we are adamant that the motive behind this complaint and such pressures are to force us to surrender to the establishment, but we will not sell ourselves out."
Chavy Land stakeholders in a protest they waged in on May 23, 2019 announced in a statement that since the project was established in 2011, they had only been paid twice.
A representative of the protesters told reporters they had visited Chavy Land officials to resolve the issue "multiple times," but they "evade us" and "lie".
"We, the stakeholders, have deposited 22 million dollars [since 2011] at Shimal Bank. Each stakeholder received 30,000 dinars for every 1,000,000 deposited in 2013, and in 2016 we received 50,000 dinars for 1,000,000," the representative added.
Stakeholders accuse Abdulwahid of not paying them for the years 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
"Every time we come here, they tell us our move is politically motivated. Why would we need a political party to push us to come to here? We have come to receive our rights," he added.
Chavy Land, boasting a view over the city of Sulaimani, is one of the largest tourist attractions in the Kurdistan Region.
The New Generation founder has been in hot water since mid-April, when several New Generation MPs in both the Erbil and Baghdad parliaments accused the leadership – particularly Abdulwahid - of betraying the party's ideals.
He was accused of turning the party into a family business, undermining its collective decision-making process, and then trying to blackmail dissenters into silence.
An arrest warrant for him was issued in May as part of an ongoing probe into allegations of internal blackmail and defamation by other party members – allegations he has categorically denied. He was released from Asayesh custody on May 30.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment