Iraq anti-corruption campaign ongoing, trials to be public, says prime minister’s adviser

Abdulsalam Fayez

Iraqi prime minister’s legal adviser said Wednesday that an anti-corruption campaign will continue with “no red lines or time limit.”

Authorities arrested dozens of suspects this week in major financial and administrative corruption cases, including lawmakers and officials whose legal immunity had been lifted.

Munir Haddad said the volume of funds looted from Iraq since 2003 has exceeded $2 trillion, describing the scale of theft and suspects’ real estate holdings as “beyond reason and logic.”

He said the trials will be public.

Haddad said investigations into the corruption accusations are ongoing, and that there are no final figures yet on the number arrested and that raids are continuing daily.

The main suspects in custody had given detailed confessions that led security and judicial authorities to arrest other suspects, he said.

“Some wanted individuals attempted to flee Iraq or move to the Kurdish region in the north,” he added.

Haddad said the Kurdish Regional Government had shown cooperation and handed over eight suspects so far, without specifying the total number of wanted individuals.

He said those arrested include senior current and former officials and lawmakers, adding that authorities found officials who each owned more than 50 properties registered in their names or in the names of family members.

Haddad stressed that all recovered funds and seized properties will be returned in full to the state treasury.

“There are no red lines or time limit for this anti-corruption campaign, and investigations and raids are currently being carried out in complete secrecy to ensure that wanted individuals do not escape,” he said.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.