Iraq anti-corruption probe seizes 825 pounds of gold, millions in cash

Iraqi anti-corruption investigators seized more than 825 pounds of gold and tens of millions of dollars in cash in a widening probe that has already led to at least 21 arrests in an oil-sector case tied to former deputy oil minister Adnan Al-Jumaili. Investigating judge Diaa Jaafar said 790 pounds of gold were recovered in one operation and 37 pounds in another, and that the bullion was handed to Iraq’s central bank.

The money trail ran through Iraq’s public sector and into private hands. In the Al-Jumaili case, authorities said one cache included Iraqi dinar worth $10.6 million found in a rainwater drainage pit. A government spokesperson later said the total funds seized in the case were worth more than $96 million, plus another $24 million in real estate, vehicles and gold. Other tallies have put the haul at 127 billion Iraqi dinars and $24 million, while some sources said the total tied to Al-Jumaili’s network topped 250 billion dinars, or about $191 million. Officials also said an additional 25 billion dinars, $1 million in cash and about five kilograms of gold were seized in the case.

The crackdown broadened far beyond one former oil official. Raids in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone led to at least 47 arrests, with politicians, lawmakers and senior officials among those detained. Several members of parliament had their legal immunity lifted to clear the way for prosecution, and legal documents were being prepared to extradite several hundred suspects living abroad. Among those touched by the sweep was lawmaker Alia Nassif, whose home was reported to have yielded about $15.5 million and gold.

Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, who took office in May 2026 and pledged to tackle graft, has turned the operation into a public test of state authority. The question is not whether investigators can seize wealth from raids and hidden caches, but whether they can convert those seizures into convictions against politically connected figures.

That bar is high in Iraq, where corruption remains deeply embedded in the machinery of government. Transparency International scored the country 28 out of 100 in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking Iraq 136th of 182 countries. The group has said corruption across the Middle East and North Africa remains entrenched and reforms are fragile when they depend on political will rather than strong institutions. UNDP has also said Iraq has made some progress in prosecutions and convictions, while warning that continued justice reform is still needed.