Iraq arrests lawmakers and officials in corruption sweep
Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service arrested several officials early Sunday in a large-scale operation across Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and other districts, Al Jazeera reported . Those detained included five members of parliament whose immunity was lifted; an AP account put the total at seven arrests. The cases stem from confessions by Adnan al-Jumaili, a deputy oil minister detained last month, in connection with which authorities say they have seized roughly $86 million in cash.
Some of those arrested belong to the bloc of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose party won the largest share of seats in November’s election but who was passed over for the premiership amid disputes within the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office on May 16, had made fighting corruption a central pledge.
The timing and targets matter: moving against sitting lawmakers from a rival bloc lets al-Zaidi demonstrate the anti-graft drive while also weakening a faction that contested his rise. Whether the sweep is read as genuine reform or factional score-settling will depend on how far the investigations reach beyond al-Sudani’s allies.