Iraqi PM's Legal Adviser: Anti-Corruption Campaign Will Continue Until Suspects Face Justice
In an interview with Kurdistan24, Judge Munir Haddad said Baghdad possesses the political will to press ahead with its anti-corruption drive and pursue those implicated in financial and administrative misconduct without hesitation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi government's campaign against corruption will continue without interruption, the legal adviser to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Sunday, stressing the premier's determination to ensure that all individuals accused of graft are brought before the courts.
In an interview with Kurdistan24, Judge Munir Haddad said Baghdad possesses the political will to press ahead with its anti-corruption drive and pursue those implicated in financial and administrative misconduct without hesitation.
Haddad revealed that he had met with Prime Minister al-Zaidi just hours earlier, during which the premier reaffirmed that the government would not halt its pursuit of corruption suspects.
"The government will never stop pursuing those accused of corruption," Haddad quoted the prime minister as saying, emphasizing that there would be no political compromise or leniency in cases involving the misuse of public funds.
The prime minister's legal adviser also addressed the recent arrests carried out in Baghdad's Green Zone, saying more than 10 prominent figures had been detained in connection with separate corruption investigations. He added that several other high-profile suspects, including former officials and individuals linked to previous governments, remain wanted by the authorities.
Haddad stressed that all suspects would be subject to the same legal and judicial procedures in accordance with Iraqi law.
The remarks come after Iraqi authorities launched one of the country's largest anti-corruption operations in recent years. Earlier on Sunday, federal authorities announced the arrest of 47 parliamentarians and senior officials on corruption charges following coordinated security raids in Baghdad's Green Zone and several other provinces. The Federal Integrity Commission said the operation was carried out under court orders and with the support of the judiciary, executive, and legislative branches, pledging that investigations would proceed transparently and in accordance with the law.
The crackdown follows a broader government effort to tackle corruption, including the high-profile arrest earlier this year of former Oil Ministry undersecretary Adnan al-Jumaili, whose case led authorities to seize large amounts of cash, gold, and other assets linked to corruption.