Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al Zaidi, is leading a new charge against corruption. Over the last several days, the Iraqi security forces have been detaining politicians and officials and uncovering masses of cash and other evidence of corruption. In one case, a stable of horses was found.
Reports indicate that one Iraqi member of parliament, Alia Nassif, was found with some $15 million in cash in her house. Reports say her son also worked with former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani. The arrests have spanned the political spectrum. Although some assumed that the arrests were targeting Iranian-backed officials in Baghdad, part of a push by the US to rein in Iranian-backed militias, the reality is that the arrests have targeted Sunni and Shi’ite politicians. This appears to be about corruption. With the raids on the corrupt, the new prime minister will be able to say he is in charge, and he can then move to confront larger challenges, such as the Iranian-backed militias.
In one incident, Shafaq News in Iraq noted that “Iraqi security forces caught $4 million inside a vehicle at a checkpoint between Saladin and Diyala on Tuesday, a security source told Shafaq News.” The origins of the cash is now being investigated. Government spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi spoke on Monday about the arrest warrants that had led to the detention of 21 suspects in Operation “Dawn Crackdown.” A source told Shafaq News that “the number of those arrested during the operation reached 67.”
The campaign against corruption appears to be popular in Iraq. Iraqis see Zaidi as a potential strong prime minister. This comes after years in which Iraq’s prime minister was weak and not able to control the country. At the heart of the failure to control the country was the fact that Iranian-backed militias carried out attacks whenever they wanted. They targeted the Kurdish autonomous region. They kidnapped a journalist and researcher and murdered a prominent Iraqi intellectual. They targeted US diplomatic personnel in Baghdad.
Iraq’s state news agency has named some of those arrested. It notes that “Muthanna al-Samarrai, head of the al-Azm Alliance and a member of parliament. The list also included sitting lawmakers Ziyad al-Janabi, Bahaa al-Nouri, Mohammed al-Karbouli, Aliya Nasif, Mohammed Jamil al-Mayahi, Hassan al-Khafaji, Abdul Rahman al-Luwaizi, Mudhar al-Karaawi, Hind al-Abbasi, Mohammed Furman al-Jubouri, and Bushra al-Qaisi,” are among the detainees.
Shafaq also notes that officials “named were former lawmaker Mohammed al-Sayhoud, Oil Ministry Undersecretary for Distribution Affairs Ali Maarij, and former government adviser Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie.” Those arrested include “civil servants, directors general, politicians, and businessmen.”
The arrests began in the Green Zone in Baghdad where many politicians have residences. The arrests have now spread across the country. Shafaq describes the first night of the raids, “the Special Division detained more than eight people at dawn, among them members of parliament, on judicial warrants tied to financial and administrative corruption, the same source said, adding that a CTS unit pushed into the al-Shaab district north of the capital to carry out similar warrants.”
Iraq has used elite counter-terrorism forces to execute the initial raids. This shows how important those being arrested are, and the concern that they may pose a threat to normal police or bribe their way to escape. The forces have found masses of cash and gold hidden in homes. They also found all sorts of luxury items, including a stable full of horses. In a country like Iraq, where poverty is common, this is seen as obvious evidence of corruption. Stockpiling millions of dollars in cash and horses is seen as something that would violate the law in some way. It will take time for Iraq to investigate and put the corrupt people on trial. It’s not clear that the government will succeed in the prosecutions. Nevertheless, it is a first step.
