Baghdad Carries Out Wide Arrest Campaign Over Financial and Administrative Corruption Charges

Iraqi authorities announced a wide arrest campaign targeting government officials, current and former members of parliament, and business figures on charges related to financial and administrative corruption and the waste of public funds. Official sources said the campaign began at dawn on Sunday and covered several areas in Baghdad and the provinces.

The Federal Commission of Integrity said in a statement issued on Sunday that it had begun implementing judicial arrest warrants against a number of suspects, following joint efforts by the three branches of government, the judiciary, and the commission. The commission said the measures were part of continuing follow-up and audit operations.

The list of detainees included several prominent figures, among them current and former members of parliament, as well as government officials, including Deputy Oil Minister for Distribution Affairs Ali Maarij and Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie. Available information indicates that the detained lawmakers include Muthanna al-Samarrai, Zaid al-Janabi, and Bahaa al-Nouri.

Security and judicial sources said the campaign included the execution of arrest warrants inside the Green Zone and in other areas. Part of the operation relied on statements from previously detained officials, including former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, whose confessions are believed to have helped open new files.

The sources added that some wanted individuals managed to leave their locations before the raids were carried out, prompting security forces to tighten measures and close the entrances to the Green Zone. Investigations are still ongoing amid official discretion over the final number of detainees and the nature of the cases.

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Mohammed al-Rubaie, head of the Al-Nahrain Foundation for Transparency and Integrity Support, said the campaign represents an important beginning in the fight against corruption.

The current government has begun holding people suspected of involvement in wasting public funds accountable, and this step may help recover large sums of money and ease the financial pressures facing the state.

Al-Rubaie noted that Iraq has judicial cooperation agreements with several countries, which may help pursue wanted individuals abroad and recover smuggled funds. Academic Khalid al-Ardawi described the campaign as a long-awaited development, saying corruption has become one of the most significant factors weakening state institutions since 2003.

Political science professor Essam al-Faily linked the campaign to the level of support it receives from judicial and oversight institutions, stressing that corruption had penetrated the structure of state institutions in recent years. He warned that continued corruption threatens state stability, noting that some corruption networks are built on shared financial interests.

The campaign comes as reports indicate that Iraq has lost hundreds of billions of dollars over the past two decades because of corruption and mismanagement. The campaign's success remains dependent on the ability of judicial institutions to complete investigations and recover stolen funds.