Defamation Lawsuit Thrusts Qatar’s Record of Corruption Into the Spotlight

It has been three years since Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the tournament is still making headlines. The latest story is about an emerging legal battle between former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (“HBJ”) and the New York Post surrounding an article that the newspaper ran in May 2025. HBJ filed a complaint on September 15 against the Post’s parent companies, claiming that thepublication “falsely alleges that Sheikh Hamad ‘was accused by the [U.S. Department of Justice] of presiding over bribery and corruption when he led the bid to bring the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.’”

Leaked documents, as well as an indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), indicate that Qatar’s bid to secure hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup entailed multiple bribes. Whether DOJ specifically accused HBJ of corruption remains unclear. The courts will decide whether HBJ’s accusations have merit. Nonetheless, the lawsuit thrusts Qatar’s tussles with corruption back into the spotlight.

2022 FIFA World Cup Mired in Corruption Allegations

The Times of London obtained documents in 2014 that it said “expose how Qatar’s astonishing victory in the race to secure the right to host the 2022 tournament was sealed by a covert campaign by Mohamed bin Hammam, the country’s top football official.” Among the allegations are that Hammam paid at least $5 million in bribes to FIFA officials. DOJ acknowledged in a 2020 superseding indictment that FIFA executives “were offered and received bribe payments in exchange for their votes in favor of Qatar.” Moreover, Qatar’s state-owned Al Jazeera reportedly offered FIFA $400 million for broadcasting rights, including a $100 million bonus “in the event that the 2022 competition is awarded to the state of Qatar.”

The Buck Doesn’t Stop With FIFA

Qatar is entangled in multiple high-profile corruption schemes outside the world of sports. In December 2022, Belgian police conducted a series of raids across Brussels, arresting a half dozen EU officials and confiscating over 1.5 million euros in cash. The episode brought to light a Qatari cash-for-influence scheme, known as “Qatargate,” at the heart of the European Parliament. Leaked documents indicate that Doha paid European officials to polish Qatar’s image.

Today, Israel is experiencing its own “Qatargate” affair. The scandal involves alleged ties between Qatar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Here in the United States, former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez received an 11-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of accepting bribes and using his “influence and power” to “benefit the Government of Qatar.” A superseding indictment alleged that Menendez accepted bribes from a New Jersey real estate developer who expected Menendez to “induce” Qatari investors to fund a multimillion-dollar development project. DOJ brought no charges against Qatari individuals, but the indictment alleged that Menendez “continued to receive things of value from the Qatari investor” after the deal was finalized.

Qatar Says It Wants To Fight Corruption — the U.S. Should Hold Doha To Account

Qatar will host the 11th session of the Conference of State Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption this December. CoSP is “the main decision-making body” of the UN Convention against Corruption. It is responsible for supporting “parties and signatories in their implementation of the Convention” and providing “policy guidance” to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. Qatar reportedly requested to host CoSP11 “in light of its keenness to permanently contribute to supporting international efforts to prevent corruption.”

With CoSP11 around the corner, Washington should hold Qatar, a Major Non-NATO Ally, accountable to its commitments. U.S. authorities should consider leveraging the Anti-Bribery Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and Global Magnitsky Act to investigate and target Qatari entities and individuals.

Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.