Iraqi security officials have arrested Adnan Al Jumaili, Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs, in a move that underscores Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi’s aggressive stance on corruption.
The arrest was carried out by a special force and a team from the Federal Integrity Commission in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, said a security official.
Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad confirmed the arrest on his Facebook page, describing Mr Al Jumaili as the “whale” of the Oil Ministry and accusing him of being a financier of political parties. Mr Sanad alleged that Mr Al Jumaili “siphoned funds” from refineries in Beiji, Doura, Maysan and Shuaiba.
An investigation was under way and was likely to lead to more arrests, the security official said. He did not elaborate.
Mr Al Jumaili's detention is the most prominent arrest since the Prime Minister took office last month.
New body to oversee finances
The arrest coincided with Mr Al Zaidi’s announcement of the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds, a high-level body designed to tighten control over government spending and reduce financial waste.
At a special meeting in Baghdad, attended by the president of the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, the head of the Federal Integrity Commission, the public prosecutor, and the chief judge of the Karkh Investigation Court, Mr Al Zaidi said the council would operate under his chairmanship with the audit and integrity chiefs as members.
The council’s mandate is to monitor ministries, non-ministerial bodies and governorates on issues of “significant public impact”, with the goal of stopping waste and recovering state funds. All findings will be referred to the judiciary for prosecution.
The Prime Minister ordered that economic feasibility checks become mandatory for projects and demanded the formation of sub-committees to audit government contracts for compliance with existing laws. A separate central committee, including the Board of Supreme Audit, Integrity Commission and Ministry of Finance, will develop a mechanism to audit contracts before they are signed.
Mr Al Zaidi, 41, was selected in late April as a compromise candidate after months of political deadlock following November’s national elections. He has not previously held an elected or administrative office, having built his profile through banking, logistics and government contracts.
His appointment came amid US pressure on Baghdad to distance itself from Iran-backed militias and improve financial supervision. The US Treasury sanctioned another Deputy Oil Minister, Ali Maarij Al Bahadly, last month, accusing him of diverting Iraqi oil for Iran’s benefit. The new government has sought to balance those external demands with domestic demands for accountability.
Widening crackdown
Tackling corruption is central to the agenda. Iraq ranked 136th out of 181 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2025. Since the 2003 US-led invasion, successive governments have been accused of mismanaging billions in reconstruction funds.
The arrest and council launch follow a series of rapid anti-corruption moves. A few days earlier, the Integrity Commission said it had thwarted an attempt to embezzle nearly 1.5 trillion dinars ($1.14 billion) from two state banks in Baghdad.
The new anti-corruption council signals a shift from reactive investigations to pre-emptive oversight. It will focus first on high-value contracts and projects with strategic economic impact, with findings sent directly to the judiciary.
Iraq’s quota-based political system has long shielded well-connected figures from accountability. The test for Mr Al Zaidi’s council will be whether it can overcome those entrenched interests and deliver prosecutions that stick.
