Zaidi meets Sudani hours after ordering probe into contracts signed on his watch

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Thursday with former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, hours after ordering investigations into several government contracts signed during Sudani’s administration as part of what his office described as efforts to combat corruption and protect public funds.

The timing of the meeting was striking. Zaidi had earlier tasked oversight bodies and relevant authorities with auditing the legality of contracts concluded under the previous government and assessing whether they served the public interest.

The prime minister’s office statement on the meeting made no mention of those directives, saying only that the two sides exchanged Eid greetings and discussed “the most prominent developments on the national scene,” while stressing “the importance of maintaining understandings between political parties to complete the government formation.”

The contract review announcements came the same day Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission said it had foiled an attempt to fraudulently cash 1.5 trillion dinars ($980 million) from Rafidain and Rasheed banks in Baghdad, with three suspects arrested carrying forged checks inside Rafidain Bank’s headquarters. The commission said it had begun forming specialized teams to investigate major government contracts previously signed by ministries and state institutions, saying the investigations aimed to determine whether the contracts complied with laws and regulations.

Rafidain Bank said the operation resulted from upgraded internal monitoring systems and coordination with the Integrity Commission and judicial authorities, with suspects caught “in the act” inside the bank.