Iraq ex-trade minister arrested

Police on Saturday detained Iraq’s former trade minister in connection with graft allegations involving food rations, ordering a plane in which he was flying to Dubai to turn back, witnesses and officials said.

An Iraqi judge issued an arrest warrant for former Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudany on Saturday, but he had already boarded a plane to Dubai, parliament’s anti-graft watchdog said.

A passenger travelling on the same plane as Mr Sudany said it was turned around about half an hour into the flight.