Iraq's anti-corruption crackdown faces scepticism despite dramatic raids
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Azhar Al-Rubaie
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Tue, 07/07/2026 - 15:35
Authorities have recovered tens of millions in cash and assets, but many Iraqis are questioning whether the campaign will also extend to powerful political figures
Iraqi security forces stand guard in Baghdad on 8 March 2026 (Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)
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A dawn raid inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone delivered one of Iraq's most dramatic anti-corruption crackdowns in years, but many Iraqis remain unconvinced that some of the country's most powerful figures will ever face justice.
Tanks, armoured vehicles and counter terrorism units rolled into Baghdad Residence, a neighbourhood near the US Embassy inside the Green Zone early on 28 June, following an investigation by Iraq's new government into funds allegedly obtained through irregularities in state projects.
During the raids, which resulted in the arrests of at least 47 people, heavily armed troops could be seen raiding the homes and offices of politicians, members of parliament and other senior officials, resulting in the seizure of millions of dollars in cash, gold bars and even gold-made women's lingerie.
The raids quickly dominated Iraqi television and social media, with footage of the operations drawing comparisons to scenes more familiar from Hollywood action films.
For many Iraqis, it was an unprecedented display of force against a political class long accused of enriching itself at the state's expense.
"It's really shocking seeing millions of dollars hidden in the gardens of politicians, finding gold bars and gold-made women's lingerie that they use to please themselves with our money," Mohammed Basheer, a 24-year-old from Basra, told Middle East Eye.
Iraq arrests 47 officials in anti-corruption crackdown
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Despite welcoming the campaign, Basheer said its credibility would depend on whether it ultimately targeted Iraq's most powerful figures.
"I am looking forward to seeing if [Prime Minister Ali] al-Zaidi will touch the big heads. If he does not, then it would be unfortunate - just like a TV show," he added.
"As previous prime ministers did almost the same campaigns, I need to see where this will end, and how serious it is when it comes to holding big officials accountable."
Jassim Mohammed, a 52-year-old from Baghdad, shared that scepticism.
"Let's wait and see how serious this campaign is. If so, that would be great; if not, then it is just a bubble," he said.
"Taking corrupt politicians to jail would be a good lesson to others to avoid following their path in stealing the people's money. However, after this campaign, the prime minister should offer good services, better infrastructure, and, most importantly, kick out the Iran-backed allies," he added.
Al-Zaidi to visit Washington
The raids come just weeks before al-Zaidi is due to visit Washington, where his government faces mounting US pressure to curb the influence of Iran-backed armed groups and demonstrate greater control over Iraq's institutions.
The timing has also fuelled speculation that the campaign is intended not only to reassure Iraqis frustrated by endemic corruption, but also to signal to Washington that Baghdad is serious about targeting officials affiliated with Shia parties close to Iran.
According to the Iranian opposition outlet Iran International, several of the officials that were arrested in pre-dawn raids were figures linked to Shia parties close to Iran.
The outlet also reported that the raids came on the heels of US Special Envoy Tom Barrack's recent meeting with al-Zaidi.
Renad Mansour, the director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, said he believed the raids were aimed at projecting credibility beyond Iraq.
"Al-Zaidi is looking to sell his administration - not just to the Iraqi public - but to the US and its allies in the region," he told MEE.
"In particular because of the threat that the US is posing to Iraq with sanctions, and because Iraq is stuck in the middle of this war between Israel, the US, and Iran."
Mansour argued that while the campaign has generated headlines and uncovered significant sums of cash and gold, it had so far avoided confronting the political figures who sit at the top of Iraq's patronage system.
"The ongoing anti-corruption campaign has been effective only insofar as he has managed to go after some middle-ranking officials and, through those arrests, uncover a lot of cash and gold bars. So, the theatrics are certainly there," he said, adding that it wasn't a coincidence.
"Because of that, the prime minister is pursuing this anti-corruption campaign. The drive is very much going after those who are easier to catch: the middle-ranking officials, not the tops, not the heads of the system who sit above it, as it is impossible to go after them."
For Mansour, that limits the campaign's ability to tackle the structural causes of corruption.
"Insofar as that is the case, this isn't changing how the political system is largely fuelled by corruption. It is just changing the configuration of what that corruption looks like and who is part of it.
"While this might bring some cash infusion, it is not going after the whole system and it is not structurally fixing it. The system is really facing massive challenges with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing conflict in the region," he said.
"Therefore, it is hard to see this cosmetic display as a structural fix for the corruption that stops Iraqis from having basic services, electricity, and a functioning economy," he added.
Waiting for the 'big fish'
Political analyst Raad Hashim agreed that the campaign's credibility would ultimately depend on whether it moved beyond mid-ranking officials and targeted Iraq's most powerful political actors.
"In this campaign, the small fish have been caught, while everyone is waiting for the moment when the big fish - the major targets among the corrupt - are netted."
Although he described the arrests as unprecedented by Iraqi standards, Hashim argued that such operations would be considered routine elsewhere.
"Comparing al-Zaidi's campaign with global anti-corruption efforts, his campaign is merely a drop in the ocean, because what al-Zaidi has done is routine work. However, only in Iraq does everyone view it as a major campaign, simply because we are not accustomed to seeing such actions."
Still, he said it was too early to dismiss the campaign entirely.
"That is, unless this is a preliminary campaign paving the way for a broader one - then we would have a different tone of talk."
Hashim also questioned why the campaign had not targeted militia leaders or other influential figures linked to Iraq's armed factions.
"Failure to target the big heads, including the influential figures who have become wealthy among the militia leaders, means that avoiding them constitutes a blow to the entire campaign, its seriousness, and its credibility."
Sarkawt Shamsulddin, a former Iraqi MP, said he believed the campaign aligned with the anti-corruption rhetoric long championed by the Sadrist movement and that it could help create political momentum ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.
Regardless of the motivations behind the operation, he said al-Zaidi was taking a political risk that few Iraqi leaders have been willing to take.
"I applaud his efforts and all who have been arrested are samples of a larger group who have been suffocating public coffers without consequences. This campaign is a warning," he said.
"Is there a foreign push? Maybe, but it takes someone in the prime minister's position who is ready to take the risk and limit the bleeding in public resources being plundered with impunity."
At the same time, Shamsulddin cautioned against overstating the significance of the raids.
"But that is just a scratch on the surface. Will he continue? Maybe this is a very sensitive issue and requires serious consideration of domestic politics."
An official from the Federal Integrity Commission told MEE that as of 4 July, Iraqi officials had recovered assets worth at 98 billion Iraqi dinars ($74m) and $11m in cash, saying they required "machinery to excavate" cash buried "four meters underground".
Inside Iraq
Basra, Iraq
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