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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi signaled this week that all corrupt officials — no matter how powerful — would face justice, as his high profile anti-graft campaign saw arrest warrants issued for a particularly prominent former government minister.
“There are no red lines in pursuing the corrupt... and we call on the ladies and gentlemen of parliament to exercise their oversight role in supporting the government's efforts to combat corruption and dry up its sources,” al-Zaidi posted on his Facebook page Tuesday.
The premier made the comment after the state Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported on Sunday the Baghdad/Karkh Court of Appeal had issued two arrest and search warrants for former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ahmed Jasim Saber al-Asadi.
Al-Asadi is a former spokesperson for a group of Iran-backed militias central to Iraq’s security apparatus and a leader in the Shiite political alliance that was key to forming the premier’s government. The charges against Al-Asadi allege unexplained enrichment and “awarding contracts in violation of the law to benefit himself and others,” the INA reported.
Al-Asadi issued a social media statement last month that he was abroad for medical treatment. He did not reply to OCCRP’s request for comment. The former minister’s political bloc issued a communique Tuesday saying it trusted in his innocence and in the judiciary’s ability to clear his name.
Prime Minister al-Zaidi came to power in April after Iraq's alliance of Shiite political blocs, the Coordination Framework accepted him as its nominee for the position. Assuming power as a compromise candidate after months of political deadlock, he took office promising to eradicate the endemic graft that has long plagued the nation's public sector.
Dozens of senior officials and lawmakers have been targeted in the anti-graft effort, including the country’s former deputy oil minister for refining affairs, Adnan al-Jumaili. Days after clawing back a staggering $47 million in commercial assets, Iraqi investigators uncovered another cache of gold jewelry and cash in properties tied to him in mid-July.
In another notable development, last week Iraqi media outlets, citing insider sources, reported that former minister of provincial affairs and former governor of the central province of Salahudin, Ahmed Abdullah Abed al-Jubouri had also been arrested on corruption charges.
Iraqi MP Omar al-Khazraji who represents the province, confirmed the arrest to OCCRP and said that both al-Jubouri and one of his sons have been detained and remain under investigation. He said the arrest was carried out under the impetus of Iraq’s Integrity Commission and the judicial authorities.
Al-Jubouri was arrested at his home in the "Ministers' Complex" in Baghdad's Al-Yarmouk district, the MP added.
Al-Jubouri had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. for “misappropriation of state assets” and “corruption related to government contracts.” After being convicted in Iraq in 2017 for misusing authority and federal funds, he was released and was removed from the U.S. sanctions in 2025.
A request for comment sent to al-Jubouri via a close associate was not answered.
The head of Iraq’s parliamentary watchdog said he is encouraged by actions to dismantle the country’s alleged entrenched patronage networks, but called for assets allegedly stolen from the country to be tracked and recovered.
"We have ministers from previous administrations, current ministers, and acting ministers, all of whom have become wealthy at the expense of public funds. Their accounts and the assets of their relatives must be audited if we want to combat corruption. They have funds that have been smuggled out of Iraq, and these must be investigated,” Taha Difai, head of Iraq’s parliamentary Committee for Integrity, told OCCRP.
