British-Iraqi man charged in multi-million dollar US army fraud case

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A British-Iraqi national has been charged with fraud and bribery of “millions of dollars” in exchange for US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reconstruction contracts in Iraq, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

Shwan al-Mulla, the former owner of Iraqi Consultants and Construction Bureau (ICCB), was charged with seven counts of wire fraud and one count of “conspiracy to commit bribery and defraud the US government,”  the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.

He remains at large, the statement said.

Mulla and “other conspirators” paid more than $2 million in bribes to two USACE employees- John Alfy Salama Markus, and Salama Markud –in exchange for multi-million dollar reconstruction  contracts in Iraq, the department said. 

In exchange for the $1 million, Markus provided them with “confidential USACE information,” it added.

Mulla faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud, and up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit fraud and defraud the US government.

Markus is now serving a 13-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering and tax offenses in 2012, according to a document issued by the United States Attorney’s Office in March 2012.

Ahmed Nouri, a former ICCB employee, pleaded guilty to committing bribery in 2018 and is awaiting his sentencing.