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| Iraq |
| Iraq anti-corruption probe Day 4: Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil for Distribution Affairs arrested |
| 2026-07-01 |
At least some of the corruption is connection to the Mullahcracy of Iran. Day 1 can be seen here. Day 2 can be seen here. And Day 3 is here. [PUBLISH.X]
…stuffed with $11 million in cash and 4 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $3.1 million). Alongside the money, they seized real estate titles, luxury assets, and multiple boxes of high-end Rolex watches. According to U.S. government intelligence and official filings, al-Bahadli systematically abused his position to run massive oil-smuggling schemes that directly benefited Iran and its armed proxies. He allegedly allowed Iranian crude to be mixed with Iraqi oil shipments and falsified official ministry documents to cover it up. Baghdad Recovers over $14M in Iraqi Airways corruption probe [Rudaw] Iraqi authorities on Tuesday recovered roughly 19 billion Iraqi dinars (about $14.5 million) in a case involving embezzled funds from the national carrier Iraqi Airways, Baghdad's judiciary announced, as an ongoing anti-corruption crackdown has, since Sunday, netted tens of millions of dollars as well as tens of senior Iraqi officials and politicians. The investigative court in Baghdad's Rusafa district “recovered 19 billion Iraqi dinars on Tuesday,” Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council - the highest judicial authority for the country's ordinary court system - said in a statement, adding that “the sum was recovered as part of investigations into a financial corruption case involving tampering with deposit records of funds belonging to Iraqi Airways.” The statement comes days after unconfirmed reports circulated about the arrest of Manaf Abdel-Monem, director general of Iraqi Airways, last Monday. The claim first surfaced when Iraqi lawmaker Alaa al-Haidari wrote in a post on Facebook that Abdel-Monem was arrested on charges of embezzlement. Importantly, the Supreme Judicial Council's statement came a day after large sums of state funds and several properties were seized in a case involving the deputy minister of oil for distribution affairs, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, who was sanctioned by the United States in May. Preliminary investigations led to the seizure of "a large amount of cash" amounting to "$11 million US dollars and four billion Iraqi dinars [around $3 million], in addition to the seizure of several properties," an investigating judge from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said in a statement Monday. The seizures are part of Operation Dawn, an expanded anti-corruption campaign launched under Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's orders on Sunday, which has so far led to the arrest of at least 21 suspects. Munir Haddad, a prominent Iraqi judge and legal advisor to Prime Minister Zaidi, told Rudaw's Ziyad Ismail on Monday that "those accused of stealing public funds and looting Iraq's wealth are being prosecuted under the Iraqi Penal Code, including the Anti-Money Laundering Law and laws governing crimes against public property.". Four million dollars seized at Iraqi checkpoint amid ongoing anti-corruption investigations [Rudaw] Iraqi security forces on Tuesday seized four million US dollars at a checkpoint in Tuz Khurmatu district, Saladin province in Federal Iraq, on possible links to embezzlement amid a series of arrests in connection to Iraq’s national anti-corruption campaign. A senior security source in Salahaddin province told Rudaw's Hastyar Qadir on Tuesday that funds totalling four million US dollars were found inside a vehicle at the Abbas Chuma checkpoint, located south of the Tuz Khurmatu district, the main road route between Salahaddin and Diyala provinces for both commercial and passenger transport. The vehicle, bearing a Baghdad license plate, was heading toward Diyala. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, has been detained for questioning. According to the source, the seized funds are now in the custody of local police, and an investigation is underway to determine their origin and whether they are connected to corruption networks. Investigations are being conducted as part of the Iraqi government’s massive anti-corruption campaign known as “Operation Dawn,” initiated by Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi, who ordered the launch of security forces to carry out large-scale operations in Baghdad and other provinces early Sunday morning. Arrests include over 21 officials, including former Salahadin governor Raed al-Jubouri and three former members of parliament from the province, and Adnan al-Jumaili, the former deputy oil minister for refining affairs, accused of embezzlement of 200 billion dinars ($152 million). Security sources said authorities are examining whether the cash was being moved to conceal proceeds linked to corruption cases currently under investigation. On Monday, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announced the seizure of large sums of cash and properties during an ongoing corruption investigation involving the deputy minister of oil for distribution affairs, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, who was sanctioned by the US in May. Preliminary investigations resulted in the seizure of “a large amount of cash” amounting to "$11 million US dollars and four billion Iraqi dinars ($3 million) in addition to the seizure of several properties,” an investigating judge from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said in a statement on Monday. Iraqi security forces on Tuesday seized four million US dollars at a checkpoint in Tuz Khurmatu district, Saladin province in Federal Iraq, on possible links to embezzlement amid a series of arrests in connection to Iraq’s national anti-corruption campaign. A senior security source in Salahaddin province told Rudaw's Hastyar Qadir on Tuesday that funds totalling four million US dollars were found inside a vehicle at the Abbas Chuma checkpoint, located south of the Tuz Khurmatu district, the main road route between Salahaddin and Diyala provinces for both commercial and passenger transport. The vehicle, bearing a Baghdad license plate, was heading toward Diyala. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, has been detained for questioning. According to the source, the seized funds are now in the custody of local police, and an investigation is underway to determine their origin and whether they are connected to corruption networks. Investigations are being conducted as part of the Iraqi government’s massive anti-corruption campaign known as “Operation Dawn,” initiated by Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi, who ordered the launch of security forces to carry out large-scale operations in Baghdad and other provinces early Sunday morning. Arrests include over 21 officials, including former Salahadin governor Raed al-Jubouri and three former members of parliament from the province, and Adnan al-Jumaili, the former deputy oil minister for refining affairs, accused of embezzlement of 200 billion dinars ($152 million). Security sources said authorities are examining whether the cash was being moved to conceal proceeds linked to corruption cases currently under investigation. On Monday, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announced the seizure of large sums of cash and properties during an ongoing corruption investigation involving the deputy minister of oil for distribution affairs, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, who was sanctioned by the US in May. Preliminary investigations resulted in the seizure of “a large amount of cash” amounting to "$11 million US dollars and four billion Iraqi dinars ($3 million) in addition to the seizure of several properties,” an investigating judge from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said in a statement on Monday. Iraq seizes $14 million from deputy oil minister's home in anti-corruption crackdown [Rudaw] Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council on Monday has announced the seizure of large sums of cash and properties during an ongoing corruption investigation involving the deputy minister of oil for distribution affairs, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, who was sanctioned by the US in May. Preliminary investigations resulted in the seizure of “a large amount of cash” amounting to "$11 million US dollars and four billion Iraqi dinars ($3 million) in addition to the seizure of several properties,” an investigating judge from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said in a statement on Monday. The case is part of a broader anti-corruption campaign initiated by Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi that escalated after security forces launched large-scale operations in Baghdad and other provinces early Sunday morning. The raids, supported by the air force, have led to the arrest of several senior officials and lawmakers, including Muthanna al-Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance, and Maarij himself. According to the Supreme Judicial Council, the cash was discovered hidden in bags placed inside a wall. Photos released by the court showed four sacks containing cash, another bag with five boxes, and a luxury wristwatch. Authorities also confirmed the seizure of several properties and real estate assets belonging to Maarij, as investigations continue. The US Treasury Department placed Maarij under sanctions for his “instrumental” role in facilitating “the diversion of oil to be sold for the benefit of the Iranian regime and its proxy militias in Iraq,” aiding and abetting “known Iran-affiliated oil smuggler Salim Ahmed Said,” sanctioned in July 2025, “as well as Iran-backed terrorist militia Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq (AAH),” and by extension, Iran. This comes amid Washington’s broader move to hold “Iran-aligned terrorist militias in Iraq, such as Kata’ib Hizballah, accountable for their attacks against U.S. personnel and civilians, diplomatic facilities, and businesses across Iraq.” To date, investigations have led to the arrest of 21 individuals, including senior officials, political leaders, and members of parliament, with Iraqi judicial authorities stating that further details will be released as the case progresses. Iraq ranked 136th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in 2025, scoring 28 out of 100, reflecting a high level of public-sector corruption compared to global standards. Nineveh oil projects under investigation in corruption case [Rudaw] Three oil projects in Nineveh province are among files being investigated by federal authorities in connection with a corruption case involving former deputy oil minister Adnan al-Jumaili, a provincial official said Tuesday. Mohammed Kakai, head of the security committee of the Nineveh Provincial Council, told Rudaw's Hastyar Qadir on Tuesday that the council had been informed that several files are under investigation on suspicion of corruption related to oil sector projects in the province. Kakai said the files include the Hammam al-Alil refinery project, launched as part of the Nineveh Refinery Project in July 2025 by former Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, as well as other contracts in Qayyarah and Ain Zalah, two of Nineveh’s key oil-producing areas. The investigations come amid unmet public infrastructure gaps such as frequent power outages, unemployment, delayed salary payments, and deteriorating public services. Investigations are being conducted as part of the Iraqi government’s anti-corruption campaign known as “Operation Dawn,” initiated by Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi who ordered the launch of security forces to carry out large-scale operations in Baghdad and other provinces early Sunday morning. Arrests include over 21 officials, including al-Jumaili, for the embezzlement of 200 billion dinars ($152 million). The files are linked to contracts signed during Adnan al-Jumaili’s tenure as deputy oil minister for refining affairs, Kakai said. According to information obtained by Rudaw, most of the alleged corruption in the case is related to contracts involving public and private refineries. On Monday, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announced the seizure of large sums of cash and properties during an ongoing corruption investigation involving the deputy minister of oil for distribution affairs, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, who was sanctioned by the US in May. Preliminary investigations resulted in the seizure of “a large amount of cash” amounting to "$11 million US dollars and four billion Iraqi dinars ($3 million) in addition to the seizure of several properties,” an investigating judge from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said in a statement on Monday. |
| Posted by:Fred |