Key facts
- Iraqi authorities arrested 47 officials, including MPs and oil ministry figures, in an anti-corruption campaign.
- Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the anti-corruption campaign.
- The arrests were based on testimony from detained officials, including Deputy Minister of Oil Adnan al-Jumaili.
- Security forces raided Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
- Some suspects escaped arrest, prompting a wider search.
Iraqi authorities have arrested 47 officials, including Members of Parliament and figures from the oil ministry, as part of a significant anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. The operation, which saw security forces raid Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, was initiated following diligent monitoring and testimony from detained officials, notably Adnan al-Jumaili, the deputy oil minister for refining affairs.
While an initial overnight raid reportedly detained seven individuals, including five lawmakers, some suspects managed to evade capture, leading to a broader search. Prime Minister Zaidi, a businessman with limited prior political experience, was selected by the Coordination Framework to form a new government in April. A primary mandate of his administration is to confront Iraq's decades-long corruption problem, an issue that successive governments have pledged to address but failed to resolve. Iraq is consistently ranked among the world's most corrupt nations by Transparency International.