Iraq issues arrest warrant for central bank chief

An Iraqi official says authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the longtime governor of the Central Bank of Iraq following allegations of financial wrongdoing.

Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar told The Associated Press on Thursday that 15 other bank officials are being sought along with Sinan al-Shabibi, a politically independent economist who has led the bank since 2003.

Bayrkdar says he doesn’t know whether any of the officials have been arrested yet. A member of al-Shabibi’s defense team says they are not aware of the warrants.

The allegations were raised by a special parliamentary committee formed to probe the bank. They surfaced while al-Shabibi was out of the country on official business.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet voted to replace al-Shabibi with another official until the investigation is complete.