ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said on Tuesday that more than three dozen properties belonging to a former oil ministry official and his associates across the country have been seized in a sweeping anti-corruption investigation. The probe has also led to the confiscation of weapons, gold, and large sums of illicit cash linked to the suspects.
“The investigating judge at Iraq's Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court announced that preliminary investigations into the case of detained suspect Adnan Mohammed Mahmoud [also known as Adnan al-Jumaili], the former Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs, and his associates have led to extensive legal measures resulting in the seizure of assets and properties belonging to him and other individuals linked to the case,” the Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement.
“The judge said that preliminary investigative procedures have so far led to the seizure of approximately 40 properties in Baghdad, Salahaddin, and Erbil provinces, in addition to cash estimated at around $10 million and 3 billion Iraqi dinars, as well as gold jewelry weighing about 1.5 kilograms,” the statement added.
The judge said investigators had also confiscated substantial quantities of light and medium weapons, adding that the probe remains ongoing to identify all individuals and entities involved in the case.
Mustafa Sanad, Iraq's communications minister, confirmed the arrest, describing Jumaili as an “oil whale.”
Sanad alleged that Jumaili “siphoned funds” from refineries and financed political parties.
Jumaili’s arrest is the first major anti-corruption case under the administration of newly appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
On Monday, the Iraqi premier revealed that he had been offered a $200 million bribe to bury the corruption case in the oil ministry.
In his government program, Zaidi presented a “comprehensive” reform agenda aimed at combating corruption and reducing the country's overreliance on oil revenues.
“The path of reform may be difficult, but it is not impossible when intentions are united, and efforts are sincere,” Zaidi said in his first official address after assuming office.
Iraq ranked 136th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), scoring 28 out of 100, reflecting a high prevalence of public-sector corruption compared to global standards.
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