Foreign Policy says Sudani-era corruption cases could reshape Iraq's political order

ANBAR, Iraq — Foreign Policy magazine has described the wide-ranging anti-corruption operations led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's government as a potential turning point for Iraq's political future, arguing the campaign could reshape the post-2003 balance of power as well as the administration itself. The Iraq Higher Judicial Council said $106 million in embezzled funds had been recovered, while security forces seized millions of dollars in cash, large quantities of gold and weapons, with some assets found hidden inside walls and underground. Citing Prime Ministry legal adviser Judge Munir Haddad, the report estimated that corruption had cost Iraq roughly $2 trillion since 2003, equivalent to about 15 years of state spending. The magazine noted that Iraq has reached its best ranking in a decade on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, but said corruption remains the country's most serious structural problem. It recalled earlier crackdowns, from former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's "ghost soldiers" file and Mustafa al-Kadhimi-era operations to Sudani's "theft of the century" investigation, none of which produced lasting change. The current operation began after the arrest of former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, whose statements led to arrest warrants against dozens of officials and lawmakers on corruption and money-laundering charges. Foreign Policy reported that, because the investigations have largely targeted figures allied with former Prime Minister Sudani and the Azm Alliance, the political dimensions of the campaign are under debate. The analysis outlined three possible scenarios: expanding the cases so all those responsible are held accountable, limiting prosecutions to a small number of suspects as in past episodes, or moving forward step by step with judicial and security backing without direct confrontation with power centers.