BAGHDAD – Iraqi authorities have recovered more than $11 million in cash, gold bars and jewellery in two separate corruption investigations, the judiciary said on Wednesday, in one of the biggest asset seizures since Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi launched an intensified campaign against graft.
The Supreme Judicial Council said the seizures reflected continuing efforts to recover stolen public funds and pursue suspects accused of financial crimes, amid a wider government drive targeting corruption across state institutions.
In one case, authorities recovered 1.14 billion Iraqi dinars (about $873,000) linked to financial fraud and the illegal transfer of funds abroad.
The council said legal proceedings were continuing against companies implicated in the case, adding that investigations remained ongoing.
In a separate and higher-profile investigation, judicial authorities disclosed new findings in the corruption case involving detained former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, who previously oversaw refining affairs at the Oil Ministry.
Search operations and efforts to trace the proceeds of alleged crimes led investigators to seize 13 billion Iraqi dinars (around $9.9 million) and an additional $400,000 hidden at several locations in Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad.
Authorities also confiscated 40 gold bars weighing one kilogram each, together weighing 40 kilograms, in addition to five kilograms of gold jewellery.
The council said judicial investigations were continuing to identify and recover all assets believed to have been obtained through criminal activity and to determine whether additional suspects were involved.
The latest seizures form part of an escalating anti-corruption campaign that has gathered momentum in recent weeks, with Iraqi authorities arresting dozens of suspects, including lawmakers and senior officials, after parliamentary immunity was lifted for some of them.
Part of the ongoing investigation is based on statements made by Jumaili, who was dismissed from his post on June 2 before being detained over allegations of embezzling public funds and approving contracts in violation of the law.
Jumaili’s case has become one of the most prominent corruption investigations in Iraq in recent months, with judicial authorities examining his assets, financial records and transactions as part of a broader inquiry into alleged financial and administrative misconduct.
The Supreme Judicial Council did not disclose the precise locations where the cash and gold were discovered, saying search operations and asset recovery efforts remain under way.
The latest developments underscore Zaidi’s determination to press ahead with his anti-corruption agenda despite political and administrative pressure and attempts to obstruct the campaign.
The prime minister has repeatedly said the crackdown would proceed strictly in accordance with the law and would target all those implicated, regardless of their position or political affiliation.
The government has described the recovery of public funds and the prosecution of those responsible for wasting state resources as central pillars of its reform programme, a policy that has won broad public backing amid growing calls for greater transparency, stronger rule of law and tougher action against corruption.