State media says 47 held in corruption sweep, names 15

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s state news agency said Sunday that 47 lawmakers and officials had been arrested in a widening anti-corruption campaign, and separately published a list of 15 people it said were detained after confessions by detained Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili.

The Iraqi News Agency reported that operations to pursue corrupt officials were continuing in Baghdad and the governorates, and that the campaign had resulted in the arrest of 47 suspects from among lawmakers and officials on corruption charges.

The agency later named 15 people it said were detained based on Jumaili’s confessions. Those named included Muthanna al-Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance and a member of parliament; lawmakers Ziad al-Janabi, Bahaa al-Nouri, Mohammed al-Karbouli, Alia Nassif, Mohammed Jamil al-Mayahi, Hassan al-Khafaji, Abdul Rahman al-Luwaizi, Mudhar al-Karawi, Hind al-Abbasi, Mohammed Farman al-Jubouri and Bushra al-Qaisi; former lawmaker Mohammed al-Sayhoud.

Deputy Oil Minister for Distribution Affairs Ali Maarij and Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, an adviser to former Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, were also on the list.

964media could not independently verify the list or the total. Of those named, only al-Samarrai’s detention has been confirmed by independent news agencies.

The Federal Integrity Commission, a state body, said it had begun executing judicial arrest warrants against suspects accused of misusing public funds. It named no one and gave no figure.

The commission said the operation resulted from cooperation among the judicial, executive and legislative authorities, and that all measures were being carried out in accordance with the law. It said it remained committed to informing the public about its work with accuracy and transparency as permitted by law.

The named figures span Sunni and rival Shia blocs, and the campaign has already drawn questions over its timing and targets, coming weeks before al-Zaidi’s expected visit to Washington.

Earlier Sunday, the Iraqi News Agency cited a senior source linking a sweeping pre-dawn security operation inside Baghdad’s Green Zone to the corruption investigation. The source said the arrests targeted suspects identified during Jumaili’s interrogation, including members of parliament whose immunity had been lifted and other senior officials named in his testimony.

The source also said Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi “will not hesitate to pursue corrupt officials and those involved in the misuse of public funds.”

The operation was the first official explanation for the large-scale deployment before dawn, when armored vehicles, tanks and Counter Terrorism Service units entered the Green Zone. Residents reported several minutes of gunfire, while ambulances were seen entering residential compounds housing senior officials.

Jumaili, who served as deputy oil minister for extraction affairs, was detained earlier this month over alleged financial irregularities in the oil sector. Authorities have disclosed few details about the investigation beyond confirming he was in custody, but state media has repeatedly linked Sunday’s arrests to confessions made during his interrogation.