Iraqi authorities seized more than 825 kilograms of gold and $10 million in cash in a series of anti-corruption raids that led to the arrest of at least 21 people, including dozens of government officials and several former and current members of parliament.
Its seizure is related to the arrest in May of the former deputy oil minister, Adnan Al-Jumaili, on corruption charges.
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, who took office in May, has vowed to crack down on fraud in the country. But the task won’t be easy, a government official who asked not to be identified told CBS News.
The number of officials involved and the amount of gold and money seized in US dollars and Iraqi dinars, as well as the cars and houses seized in this operation, show the level of graft in the country. And this probe is only related to one sector: oil.
“The latest campaign was unexpected,” said the official, not only because he quickly replaced Al-Zaidi, but also because many previous prime ministers have only paid lip service to fighting corruption without actually doing so.
“It surprised everyone involved and will continue to file corruption charges in other sectors.”
Investigating judge at Iraq’s High Anti-Corruption Court, Diaa Jaafar, told the Iraqi News Agency that 790 kilograms of gold were found in one operation and 37 pounds in another. He did not provide further details of the activities.
The gold has been returned to the country’s central bank, Jaafar added.
The seizure follows another oil service-related operation last Thursday in which $10.6 million worth of Iraqi dinars were found in a storm drain.
The Iraqi government spokesman, Haider al-Aboudi, told the Qatari news agency Al Jazeera that the total amount of money seized in the al-Jumaili case is worth more than $96 million, and another $24 million in real estate, cars and gold.
“The Iraqi road is looking forward to punishing those who have caused damage with the public money, and violated its sanctity, as it is the money of all Iraqis,” he said.
Al-Aboudi told Al Jazeera that Iraq has prepared legal documents to extradite several hundred suspects living abroad as part of the fight against corruption.
Disarming Iranian-backed militias
Al Zaidi met with President Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of investment by American companies in infrastructure and energy in Iraq, as well as the Iraqi plan to disarm the country’s armed forces supported by Iran on September 21 and the complete withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq on September 30.
Before the meeting, in response to a pointed question about his message to the people of Iraq, Mr. Trump replied: “We love Iraq.”
Evan Vucci / REUTERS 
Iran-backed militias have challenged successive Iraqi governments for more than two decades.
Some hardline groups have already rejected calls to lay down their arms. Several of them target the missions of American officials and forces in the country and the region.
In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait criticized the Iranian government and its partners in Iraqi military facilities for “attacks targeting several border areas and an oil field belonging to the Kuwait Oil Company, which resulted in casualties and loss of property.”
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both made similar claims about militias based in Iraq.
