A disturbing phenomenon in Iraq recently has spread to the use of high -dowry marriage contracts as a way to launder money. The Supreme Judicial Council has revealed cases of marriage contracts that include huge voices that may amount to one billion Iraqi dinars or more, followed by a rapid divorce with the aim of transferring those amounts to one of the parties. This phenomenon raises many questions about the source of the money circulating and the actual marriage goals.
In response to this phenomenon, the Supreme Judicial Council issued instructions to the courts to verify the source of the funds in the high cases of dowries. In the event that the judge is not convinced of the legitimacy of the source of the funds or the absence of a real intention for marriage, the parties will be referred to the Anti -Money Laundering Office for the necessary investigations.
The Judicial Council issued an urgent circulation to the courts of discrimination and public prosecution and all the courts of appeal, in which it warns against the exploitation of the personal status courts to commit money laundering crimes, by registering marriage contracts that include skirts, which he described as “exaggerated and illogical.”
The Judicial Council decides to implement the money laundering law to the skis of marriage that is exaggerated#Iraq#Satellite Change Channel pic.twitter.com/wvterqgsjk
– Altadaga satellite channel (@altaghiertv) May 4, 2025
The council mentioned in the circular – the site by Faeq Zidan – that “given the seriousness of the crime of money laundering, and one of its forms is to exploit the judiciary through the personal status courts to register fake marriage contracts with an unjustified high voracity, followed by rapid divorce cases, the courts have been directed to take the following measures: In the event that the dowry of marriage mentioned in the marriage contract is exaggerated, the court must obligate both parties to the contract to clarify the source of the funds before completing the completion Marriage contract.
The Judicial Council explained that these cases include “marriage contracts that include high voices, whether they are cash or according to the prevailing custom in the region, in addition to any other criminal dues stipulated in the Anti -Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law No. (39) of 2015.”
A new challenge to the Iraqi judiciary
Legal experts explained that Iraqi law does not designate a maximum of dowries, which opens the way for exploiting this gap in money laundering operations. The absence of legal requirements that obligate the parties to prove the source of money in marriage contracts facilitate the implementation of such operations.
Iraq has recorded a noticeable increase in dowries in recent years, as some marriage contracts have become a dowry exceeding one billion Iraqi dinars (about 761 US dollars), which raised social surprise and legal questions.
Social studies and follow -up revealed that fictional dowries in some cases do not reflect the true financial ability of the parties, but rather a way to prove social status, and there are cases in which high dowries are included in order to launder money through a rapid divorce and transfer the dowry to one of the parties.
This phenomenon is a new challenge for the Iraqi authorities in the fight against money laundering. Its confrontation requires strengthening legal and supervisory procedures to ensure the transparency of financial transactions related to marriage contracts, and to protect the financial system from exploitation.
