Ex-minister Asadi denies he faces arrest as Framework official says PM will act

BAGHDAD — Former Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi said Monday he is not wanted by Iraq’s judiciary and faces no arrest warrant, rejecting an account by a Coordination Framework leader who said Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi intends to have him arrested over corruption suspicions when he returns from Australia.

In audio statements, Asadi said he had been abroad for medical treatment when “one of those close to me” took actions that raised suspicions, prompting an investigation. He said he had stayed silent despite a media campaign “for fear of affecting the course of the investigations and the judiciary,” and had opened his offices and records to investigators. “I am not wanted by the judiciary, and no arrest warrant has been issued against me,” he said. He acknowledged authorities had seized money belonging to him but said it was lawful and “less than the figures that were announced.”

His denial followed an interview earlier Monday in which Coordination Framework leader Amer al-Fayez said Asadi, traveling on an official mission, now fears returning because he expects to be detained. Fayez told Al Rabiaa TV the alliance had raised the case at a Monday meeting and was told the former minister “will be arrested” on his return, and that its leaders had authorized the prime minister “to act with an iron fist even if the accused is from the Coordination Framework, provided the legal measures do not include humiliation or damage to reputation.”

Fayez also criticized corruption coverage that he said convicts people before investigations conclude. “The presence of money in someone’s home is not a crime. They may have received an inheritance, sold a house, or simply kept cash,” he said. He said Asadi had owned a hotel before entering government and later sold half to a partner, and that authorities seized cash from his vehicle and home after a judicial order issued the day he received payment from the sale.

The reported moves against Asadi came alongside accounts Sunday that the Integrity Commission raided farms belonging to him and to Shibl al-Zaidi, head of the Khadamat Alliance, in Baghdad’s Zaafaraniya district. Citing an unnamed security source, the reports said one team searched for money suspected of being buried on Shibl Zaidi’s property while another searched Asadi’s farm, with no announced results.

The case comes as Ali Zaidi’s government pursues a broad anti-corruption campaign. In late June, authorities detained dozens of current and former officials, including members of parliament, in a sweeping operation; state media reported that more than 15 names disclosed at the time were part of a group of 47 suspects, and that the arrests followed confessions by former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili. At a Coordination Framework meeting Monday chaired by Ali Zaidi, the alliance reiterated support for the campaign, saying there would be “no protection for those involved in corruption” while stressing the need to preserve the dignity of those under investigation.