Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has vowed that the arrest campaign against 47 defendants, including political officials, was only a "first phase" and that the government would continue to fight corruption.
In remarks published today after a meeting of the Iraqi government, last night, al-Zaidi said that "the anti-corruption movement is a first stage, and the government will continue to fight corruption to recover public funds, and that it is tasked with protecting the interests of the Iraqi people, and does not compromise in this responsibility," according to a statement from the Iraqi government.
He added that "the situation has become impossible to remain silent, and the jealousy of the situation of Iraqis pushes us to assure our people that there are strong guards of public funds, and we will use them well."
Iraq "has gone through the eras of wars, chaos and the fight against terrorism, and today the government's path is different, by activating measures to strengthen the power of the Iraqi state, its monopoly of power and weapons, and not allowing the corrupt to be part of the body of the state with the aim of stealing public funds," he said.
Al-Zaidi called for "proceeding with the preparation of next year's budget, within the framework of the program budget, which will allocate more funds to the electricity sector, to contract for 2,000 megawatts during this year, so that the situation of the national grid will be much better next year."
According to a statement by the Iraqi government, al-Zaidi tasked the oversight bodies to receive any indicators of the performance of the government or the ministries to detect cases of corruption or negligence.
Iraqi Advisor: Coordination with Regional and International Bodies
Advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Ayed al-Hilali, revealed that the arrest campaign that his country has been witnessing since the dawn of Sunday (June 28th) is being carried out in coordination with "regional and international bodies, especially the United States and the European Union", who have expressed their satisfaction with what has been achieved so far and issued positive positions after achieving part of the goals of the plan, according to him.
"Over the past two days, security forces have carried out raids on houses linked to large corruption mafias and figures who have entrenched corruption within state institutions over the past years," said al-Hilali, a former official, stressing that "the strike was unprecedented, and that the coming days will witness more painful and forceful strikes against the pillars of corruption, in light of the government's insistence on going to the end to eradicate corruption."
"The list of detainees includes a number of prominent figures accused in corruption cases, including Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, Second Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarej, in addition to Muthanna al-Samarrai, leader of the Azm parliamentary bloc, in addition to many other names included in the campaign," al-Hilali said.
Al-Hilali: Authorities are investigating 945 corruption cases
"The number of detainees so far has reached 47 people, including about 17 members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, while the rest of the list includes political leaders and employees of state institutions," al-Hilali said, noting that "the number is expected to rise in the coming days as investigations and security measures continue."
"Investigations need some time, given that the authorities are dealing with more than 945 files, in addition to the existence of agreements with the international community to recover wanted persons and funds found outside Iraq," he said, expecting "the investigations to yield official results and announcements in the coming days and weeks."
Al-Hilali stressed that "there are guarantees that prevent the politicization of the issue of corruption", pointing out that "what is happening falls exclusively within the efforts to combat corruption, and does not target any particular party or any political or sectarian component, as the only motivation for these measures is to prosecute corruption and hold those involved accountable, away from any other considerations."
Jumaili's confessions spark arrests
On Sunday, Iraqi authorities arrested a number of people accused of financial and administrative corruption, including members of the House of Representatives who were stripped of their immunity and officials, based on confessions made by the arrested Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, Adnan al-Jumaili.
On June 2, Iraqi authorities arrested al-Jumaili on charges related to suspicions of financial and administrative corruption, and the conclusion of illegal contracts that have severely damaged the country's energy sector and oil wealth.
Last Monday, the Supreme Judicial Council announced the continuation of investigations into the case, noting that the total amounts of money seized increased to $10 million and 31 billion Iraqi dinars, or about $23 million.
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