Scandal: Massoud Barzani Granted Passport to Saddam Hussein’s Son-in-Law
KURDFILE EXCLUSIVE – 4 AUGUST 2025
In a revelation that has sparked outrage and political backlash, Jamal Mustafa, the son-in-law of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, publicly claimed he was granted a passport on the direct orders of Massoud Barzani, leader of the ruling KDP and former president of the Kurdistan Region.
The claim was made during a televised interview on Al Arabiya TV (July 6), where Mustafa stated that after completing an 18-year sentence for his role in Saddam’s regime, he traveled to Erbil and met with Barzani who, according to Mustafa, asked how he could help.
“I told him I needed a passport,” said Mustafa. “He immediately instructed one of his officers to arrange it.”
While the passport was reportedly blocked by Iraqi officials in Baghdad, it was later delivered to Mustafa with the help of the Emir of Qatar, he added.
Who is Jamal Mustafa?
A high-ranking former Iraqi officer and Saddam’s tribal affairs deputy, Jamal Mustafa Abdullah Al-Sultan married Hala Saddam Hussein in 1994. He was arrested by U.S. forces in 2003 and listed as 22 on the U.S. most-wanted list. Released from Al-Hout prison in 2021, he currently lives in Qatar.
The revelation has reignited questions about the Barzani family’s behind-the-scenes ties with Ba’athist elites, despite the decades of brutal repression Kurds faced under Saddam’s regime.
Critics say this scandal underscores a deeper hypocrisy and double standard within KDP leadership, as Kurdish journalists remain imprisoned for speaking truth while former Ba’ath loyalists are welcomed and granted privileges.
Barzani has yet to respond to the allegations.