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| Iraq |
| Zaidi’s ‘Anti-Corruption’ raids follow Iraq’s post-succession pattern, and fall hardest on Halbousi’s rivals |
| 2026-07-02 |
| [THENATIONALCONTEXT.COM] Iraqi security forces detained as many as 20 senior officials during raids in Baghdad’s Green Zone and other areas late on June 28. The most prominent reported detainee is Muthanna al-Samarrai, leader of the Azm Coalition. Several politicians linked to former prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition were also named, including Alia Nassif, Baha al-Din al-Nouri and Hassanein al-Khafaji. Security forces also raided the home of MP Alaa Sukkar, also linked to Sudani’s coalition, but did not find him at home, so he has not been confirmed detained. Other reported detainees include Mudhar al-Karawi of the Sovereignty-Tashreea Alliance led by Khamis al-Khanjar; Hind al-Abbasi and Mohammed al-Karbouli of the Azm Alliance; Mohammed Farman of the Taqaddum Party, led by Mohammed al-Halbousi; and Ziyad al-Janabi, who ranks second in Khanjar’s Sovereignty Alliance. Mohammed al-Sayhoud, a former MP and Sudani’s paternal cousin, was detained in the first wave and released on bail on June 30, after two days in custody, with his office citing health reasons. Security forces also raided the home of MP Hussein Mounes without locating him. Mounes is a senior figure in the Iran-aligned faction Kata’ib Hezbollah who now leads his own political movement, making him the first reported target of the campaign with a direct militia background rather than a Sunni or Sudani-aligned profile. Reports that former finance minister Taif Sami had been detained were formally denied by her office, which described the claims as entirely false and asked the media regulator to pursue legal action against those circulating them. Context: Estimates of the total number detained have shifted over the following days, from an initial 15 officially named individuals to reports of 17, 35, 47 and finally 53 political, governmental and parliamentary figures. Some Iraqi sources have put the underlying investigation at close to 1,000 politicians and officials; judicial sources cited a more conservative target list of more than 100. A separate report cited a politician saying 64 names had been passed to airports and border crossings to prevent departures, with further raids expected outside Baghdad. The confirmed total stands at 53; the wider figures are unverified. Several Iraqi outlets have also reported that Washington supplied names for the operation and is overseeing the arrests, and a separate report cites a judicial source describing the participation of an American investigative team after the oil ministry official’s confession. Specific claims that the CIA is overseeing the arrests remain unsubstantiated. Attributing domestic political operations to foreign intelligence services is a recurring feature of Iraqi political discourse, and the claim cuts both ways: it lends the campaign an appearance of external backing while giving opponents a framework to describe the arrests as foreign interference. Analysis: Every Iraqi prime minister in recent memory has launched an anti-corruption initiative during the opening phase of his government, and in nearly every case the 0primary targets have been officials, intermediaries and businessmen tied to his immediate predecessor rather than the predecessor himself. Abadi’s 2015 reform campaign abolished the vice-presidency held by Nouri al-Maliki and dismissed 123 Maliki-era deputy ministers and directors-general. Kadhimi’s Committee 29, created in 2020, arrested the head of Iraq’s Retirement Fund, the Baghdad Investment Commission’s chairman and the head of the Qi Card payment company, before the Federal Supreme Court dissolved it over claims it had usurped judicial functions and extracted confessions through torture. Sudani then turned the same apparatus on Kadhimi’s circle, issuing warrants for former finance minister Ali Allawi, cabinet director Raed Jouhi, personal secretary Ahmed Najati and adviser Mushriq Abbas over the “theft of the century” case, while prosecuting members of Committee 29 itself. In each transition the incoming government activated files implicating its predecessor’s network while leaving comparable files involving its own sponsors dormant; the corruption was often real, but the choice of which files to open was political. An International Crisis Group analyst made the same point about Zaidi’s campaign specifically: it has concentrated on second-tier figures while senior leadership stays out of reach, and both Maliki and Sudani publicly backed the operation once it began, which is consistent with a campaign aimed at a predecessor’s circle rather than the centres of power themselves. More at the link Related: Muthanna al-Samarrai 07/01/2026 Iraq anti-corruption probe Day 4: Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil for Distribution Affairs arrested Muthanna al-Samarrai 06/28/2026 Iraqi officials, including lawmakers, arrested on corruption charges in overnight raid UPDATE: arrestees tools of Iran Muthanna al-Samarrai 11/13/2025 PM Sudani emerges as top winner of Iraq’s legislative elections |
| Posted by:badanov |