Iraqi courts have lifted legal immunity from three members of parliament in financial corruption cases, allowing summons orders and further legal procedures, a responsible judicial source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
The decision followed official requests from judicial and oversight bodies involved in anti-corruption files, after evidence and indicators required the MPs to appear before the judiciary to give statements and review the accusations against them.
New warrants have also been issued for officials who fled Iraq over recent corruption files, including Mohammad Halim, office director for detained former Deputy Oil Minister for Distribution Affairs Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, and Farhan Al-Fartousi, the former director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq.
Meanwhile, one son of MP Mudar Al-Karawi has been released, while another remains in custody pending further investigation after both were detained with him during a raid early Sunday. Diyala Provincial Council head Omar Al-Karawi on Monday argued that the arrest of his brother Mudar “cannot be separated from his political positions.”
The detentions are part of Operation “Dawn Crackdown,” a widening anti-corruption campaign targeting officials, lawmakers, business figures, and suspected networks accused of manipulating public funds. A security source told Shafaq News that the campaign’s toll reached 67 detainees within the first 24 hours alone.
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi told a cabinet session that the campaign was a “first stage” in the government’s anti-corruption file, pledging to continue efforts to recover public money and tasking oversight bodies with receiving reports on corruption or negligence in government performance.
: Iraq detains top officials in anti-corruption sweep: What we know so far
