Iraqi Security Forces Arrest 47 Officials in Baghdad Green Zone Anti-Corruption Raids

Iraqi security forces carried out overnight raids in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, arresting dozens of Iraqi political officials on corruption charges, with the Iraqi News Agency reporting that the arrests were based on a statement made by former Deputy Minister of Oil Adnan al-Jumaili.

AP reported that the state news agency later said 47 people had been arrested in the corruption probe, while CNN said arrests were made early Sunday and that a security agency report obtained by The Associated Press said seven people were arrested, including five members of Parliament.

Al Jazeera

The arrests were carried out after Iraqi security forces sealed off all entrances to the Green Zone early Sunday and carried out raids inside the compound that houses key government institutions and foreign embassies, according to AP.

AP also said Diaa Jaafar, the investigative judge of Iraq’s central anti-corruption court, stated that the investigation into al-Jumaili began in October following reports alleging that several candidates had spent exorbitant sums of money to support election campaigns, exploiting state resources and with the support of influential figures in the previous government.

In the same operation, AP reported that Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi lifted the immunity of the members of parliament implemented in the case and the arrest warrants against them were then executed.

Al Jazeera reported that Iraqi security forces arrested several politicians, lawmakers and senior officials in dawn raids across Baghdad as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign ordered by Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, with Elite Counter Terrorism Service units carrying out operations in the Green Zone.

The National said the arrests form part of Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi’s escalating anti-corruption campaign and that as of Sunday afternoon Iraqi authorities arrested 47 legislators and officials on corruption charges, citing the Iraqi News Agency.

Al-Jazeera Net

The National also named Muthanna Al Samarrai, Mohammed Al Karbool, and Hassan Al Khafaji among those arrested, and it said the list included Shiite legislators from former prime minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition, including Alia Nusaif and Baha Al Nouri.

AP reported that some of the arrested lawmakers came from al-Sudani’s Shiite political bloc and others from the Azm Alliance, an influential Sunni party, and it said al-Sudani’s bloc won the largest share of seats in November’s parliamentary elections before he stepped aside amid a deadlock in the Coordination Framework.

AP further said Al-Sudani was replaced by Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, who emerged as a consensus candidate and received the blessing of the United States.

The National reported that the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Ali Maarij Al Bahadly, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil for Distribution Affairs, accusing him of using his position to divert Iraqi oil and blend it with Iranian oil to help Iran evade US sanctions.

“Iraqi officials, including lawmakers, arrested on corruption charges in overnight raid BAGHDAD (AP) — Dozens of Iraqi political officials have been arrested on corruption charges, Iraq’s state-run Iraqi News Agency reported Sunday”

AP News

Arab News said Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, made vows to fight corruption and to ensure a state monopoly on weapons, and it reported that the round-up began early Sunday when Iraqi security forces raided Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and another neighborhood in the capital.

Al Jazeera Net said the Federal Integrity Commission announced a firm action in executing judicial arrest warrants issued against a number of suspects for violations of public funds, stressing that procedures were carried out precisely in accordance with the law and under its umbrella.

Al Jazeera Net also reported that sources said the campaign was still ongoing and expected to arrest more suspects whom al-Jumaili—detained by the Iraqi Integrity Commission—confessed to being involved in corruption cases, and it said dozens of officials were arrested in the early morning hours including MPs whose immunity was lifted.

AP described the arrests as likely to have ripple effects across Iraq’s fractured political landscape, where accusations of corruption frequently intersect with rivalries over power and influence, and it said Jaafar described the investigation as uncovering involvement of a group of legislators in exploiting state resources for electioneering and benefiting from government contracts.