Exclusive: Two prime ministers and members of parliament on the list of an international committee investigating Iraqi corruption cases
Exclusive: Two prime ministers and members of parliament on the list of an international committee investigating Iraqi corruption cases
2026-08-19
Shafaq News – Baghdad
An informed source revealed on Wednesday that a new list is being prepared that includes Iraqi political and governmental figures suspected of involvement in cases of squandering public funds, corruption and money smuggling, noting that the names under review include two former prime ministers, current and former members of parliament and officials of various ranks.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that the international committee currently in Iraq, which includes experts specializing in tracking smuggled and stolen funds, conducted, in coordination with the relevant Iraqi government team, a review and verification of the evidence and documents related to a number of financial corruption cases.
He added that the committee is “preparing a list of names of individuals suspected of involvement in those cases, including two former prime ministers, current and former members of parliament, as well as directors-general and other officials.”
According to the source, the review process is not limited to local information, but includes auditing documents and data related to the movement of funds and their transfer routes outside of Iraq, stressing that the international experts possess, according to him, “information and documents related to the files and people whose cases are being reviewed.”
He pointed out that the anti-corruption and funds recovery file enjoys governmental and political support, and that a number of political forces and leaders have provided facilities to the concerned authorities to complete the investigations and track the funds, without revealing when the list will be completed or the legal procedures that will be taken regarding the names included in it.
A private source revealed to Shafaq News Agency on August 10 that a committee comprising American experts and others of different nationalities had arrived in Baghdad to work with the Iraqi team specializing in combating corruption and tracking stolen and smuggled funds, and to benefit from their expertise in tracking the movement of funds, especially transfers related to the dollar.
He said the committee’s work aims to identify the paths of funds and uncover the parties involved in stealing public money and the methods of smuggling it, expecting that the upcoming measures will include senior figures who go beyond the levels of ministers, undersecretaries and directors-general.
The Iraqi authorities are waging a broad anti-corruption campaign, the first phase of which began on June 28, and included the execution of arrest warrants and detentions of political officials, current and former members of parliament, and businessmen, in an operation called “Operation Dawn Charge”.
The authorities say the measures are being carried out in accordance with court orders and in coordination between the relevant agencies and the Federal Integrity Commission.
The investigations later extended to files and contracts in government ministries and institutions, including oil, health and electricity, while the competent authorities began tracking funds, real estate and investments linked to suspects inside and outside Iraq, in parallel with preparing new lists of figures suspected of being involved in wasting or seizing public funds.
The campaign has targeted former officials and political figures in recent weeks, including the former head of the parliamentary integrity committee, Talal al-Zubaie. Government and judicial sources say that investigations with detainees have led to the opening of new files and the issuance of other arrest warrants, amid government assurances that the campaign will not stop at specific job levels.
shafaq.com
