Iraq arrests 47 lawmakers and senior officials in major Baghdad corruption sweep

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi counter-terrorism units detained 47 lawmakers, senior officials and former provincial administrators in a large-scale operation carried out on the morning of June 28, 2026. The arrests followed the Iraqi Parliament's use of its temporary authority under Article 63, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution to lift immunity for those targeted. Among those held were a deputy oil minister and figures said to have confessed to involvement in a network that funneled billions of dinars and tens of millions of dollars to armed groups. Lawmakers serving on the finance, investment and security committees, executives of private banks and currency-exchange offices, and former governors were also detained. Officials said more than 100 additional senior officials, including ministry undersecretaries, director generals, security officials and heads of independent commissions, were dismissed or reassigned as part of the same operation. Investigators estimated that assets accumulated through corruption over the past two decades range between $150 billion and $250 billion, held in domestic real estate and hidden accounts in European and regional capitals. The operation aims to cut off armed-group financing routed through currency-sale windows, align Iraq with international banking regulations and clear obstacles to energy investment, according to official statements.