An Iraqi spy accused Nuri-al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, of buying votes for the forthcoming elections by distributing 10,000 pistols purchased from Serbia. As reported by the Guardian, Maliki was photographed while giving away pistols to tribal chieftains in the south of the country.  Military analyst Aleksandar Radic explained to "24 hours" that a decorated pistol is a gift with a special significance in the Arabic world.

Sad al Alusi, the ex-spokesman of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, has reported that in 2008 Iraq ordered 8,000 pistols from a Serbian supplier for use by his former service. However, Maliki allegedly suspended the contract and created his own, under which he bought 100,000 pistols that are currently being used to garner support before the upcoming elections.

Jugoimport SDPR, a state enterprise for the trade of weapons and military equipment, signed a contract in 2008 with the Iraqi Ministry of Defence related to the export of military goods worth $234m. The contract regulated the sale of infantry weapons: around 17,000 pistols, mortars and a large quantity of ammunition. Radic asserts that this contract is not controversial, and that these were specially decorated CZ 99 pistols.

"The pistols were ordered as early as 2007, and we are talking about special gift pistols. This is a tradition in the Arabic world and a specially decorated gun is a valuable gift" says Radic, who did not give any more details as to who Jugoimport signed the contract with.

It was not possible to contact anyone from Jugoimport to find out whom they signed a contract with, nor if it was true that Maliki himself bought 10,000 guns.

In August 2009, the Ministers of Defence of Serbia and Iraq signed a new Defence Cooperation Agreement in Bagdad, regulating the sale of $100m worth of weapons and military equipment from Serbia to Iraq.