ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Up to 20 percent of Iraq’s public funds have been lost to corruption, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) official in Iraq told Rudaw on Monday, as the Baghdad government intensified a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown that has led to the arrest of tens of suspects, including senior officials and political figures, since Sunday.
“International experts and even Iraqi government officials estimate that around 20 percent of the country’s public funds have been lost to corruption,” UNDP Resident Representative for Iraq Titon Mitra said, further detailing that “between $150 billion and $450 billion in assets may have been moved overseas or hidden within Iraq,” making them difficult or even impossible to recover.
The remarks come as Iraqi authorities continue to make headway with Operation Dawn, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign that was launched on Sunday under the direction of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in coordination with Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity. The operation has so far resulted in the detention of around 21 suspects, including lawmakers, former officials, and senior government employees.
For his part, Mitra noted that the UNDP is supporting Iraqi government efforts to strengthen “the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases,” noting that corruption remains “an incredibly critical issue for Iraq," which “ranks among the bottom third globally on international corruption indices.”
The UNDP is also working with Iraqi authorities to strengthen law enforcement and judicial institutions, with a focus on promoting transparency, accountability, judicial independence, and the rule of law, the resident representative added, pointing to “the independence of the judiciary” and “the application of the rule of law” as fundamental pillars for combating corruption.
Additionally, Mitra stressed the need to recover lost assets through an "expeditious process," warning that delays could result in permanent losses for the country. Commending the prime minister for prioritizing the "challenging" fight against corruption, the UNDP official reaffirmed the entity’s readiness to support the government's efforts, describing them as "long overdue."
In its 2025 Iraq Annual Report, the UNDP said it had helped advance Iraq's anti-corruption framework by supporting ten aligned laws, drafting asset recovery legislation, and contributing to the development of the 2025 - 2030 National Anti-Corruption Strategy.
The Programme further enhanced investigative capacity by training 1,192 officials, establishing two digital forensic laboratories, and launching a Trial Monitoring Programme covering 896 corruption cases, the report said.
