Iraq Launches Major Anti-Corruption Campaign Following High-Level Arrests

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The government of Prime Minister Ali ez-Zeydi launched a large-scale crackdown on financial and administrative corruption in late June. The operation, based on confessions from detained Deputy Oil Minister Adnan Cümeyli, resulted in the detention of more than 50 individuals in Baghdad, including members of parliament and other high-ranking officials. Judge Munir Hıdad, legal advisor to the Prime Minister, reported that authorities seized approximately 250 kilograms of gold, horses valued at $8 million, and billions of Iraqi dinars from the home of MP Aliye Nasif. Judge Hıdad stated in early July 2026 that looted funds since 2003 have exceeded $2 trillion, surpassing the $1.4 trillion total budget for the 2003-2025 period. Reports indicate that most of those detained, with one exception, were not primary figures in corruption, and the total value associated with released detainees did not exceed $5 billion. Former Prosecutor General Abbas Esedi warned of a plan to destroy files at the Ministry of Migration to cover up corruption records. Poverty rates are reported to have reached 17.5% of the population, affecting more than eight million people by the end of 2025. The BBC noted that the campaign should avoid becoming selective or retaliatory.