The latest
Iraq’s anti-corruption campaign is facing its most difficult test after shifting from the arrest of officials and lawmakers to attempts to recover stolen money and assets, under public pressure that wants major figures brought down rather than stopping at the middle التنفيذي layers of the system.
Details
• Foreign recovery: Iraq’s Integrity Commission said it had recovered a good share of funds held abroad and brought back about half of the suspects who fled the country.
• Informant rewards: Zaydi called on citizens to report money and assets linked to corruption and ordered financial rewards for informants in line with the law.
• Operation Dawn: Reports said the operation detained 47 suspects, including lawmakers and officials, through judicial warrants and security raids.
• Political anger: Politicians in the Coordination Framework complained about the lack of prior consultation and about leaks they said damaged reputations before court rulings.
• Sadr support: Muqtada al-Sadr described Zaydi’s campaign as “heroic reform” and urged his supporters to back it against pressure from corrupt actors.
Background
According to Transparency International, Iraq ranks 136th out of 182 countries in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, with a score of 28 out of 100.
Between the lines
A source close to the prime minister’s office told +ontime that Zaydi wants a campaign that is “big and has real impact,” but understands that the Iraqi street will not be satisfied with the arrest of only second- and third-tier figures inside the corruption system. Iraqis, the source said, want to see major heads brought down by the state, not only senior officials from below the top.
According to the source, the formula guiding Zaydi’s team is “drying up before toppling.” That means cutting off the arteries of public money flowing through deputy ministers, directors-general and powerful figures inside state institutions before moving against party leaders and major bloc figures who have held power for more than 20 years and who are protected by political, tribal, religious and armed networks.
The US dimension is also present. The source said Zaydi wants to go to Washington carrying “strong credentials” rather than being cornered only by questions about armed factions. For that reason, according to the source, his team is considering bringing down a corruption figure linked to those factions, so he can argue that his government is not only pursuing administrative corruption but also touching the networks of money and weapons behind it.
What to watch
The campaign will be measured by the launch of the promised reporting platform, the volume of recovered assets, the nature of the next names targeted, and whether the investigations reach the financiers of Iraq’s corruption system rather than only its operators.
