Iraq’s Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court has announced the arrest of a former provincial governor after confessions from a detained senior oil official in a graft case, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to the court, former deputy oil minister for refining affairs Adnan Al Jumaili’s statements during interrogation led to the arrest of former Salaheddin governor Raed Al Jubouri, who is currently serving as the province’s health director. The case centres on financial waste and embezzlement in projects executed by the suspects and others.
The court said continued investigations and tracking of funds linked to the case resulted in the seizure of more than 67 billion Iraqi dinars ($51 million) and $1 million on Monday. Part of the money was found hidden in homes, while another portion was buried four metres underground and recovered using specialised equipment.
With Monday’s seizure, total funds recovered in the case now exceed 98 billion dinars and $11 million, the statement added.
Mr Al Jumaili was arrested last month. Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad publicly described him as the “whale” of the Oil Ministry, accusing him of siphoning funds from refineries in Baiji, Doura, Maysan and Shuaiba.
Earlier raids linked to the investigation seized about $10 million in cash, three billion dinars, 40 properties, 1.5kg of gold and large quantities of weapons.
Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has made the case a centrepiece of his anti-corruption drive since taking office last month.
The judiciary said investigations are ongoing to identify all individuals and entities connected to the case.
Iraq’s anti-corruption drive drew renewed attention following an announcement earlier this month of large-scale attempted embezzlement. The Integrity Commission announced it had thwarted a scheme to embezzle nearly 1.5 trillion dinars from two state banks in Baghdad.
Iraq ranks 136 out of 181 on Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, with oil sector contracts a frequent target of graft investigations.
Corruption has been rife in Iraq under successive governments elected after the US-led invasion of 2003, which toppled the dictator Saddam Hussein. Billions of dollars given to the government for reconstruction were misused by authorities.
The widespread corruption has crippled the country’s efforts to overcome the effects of war and UN-imposed economic sanctions. In 2021, former president Barham Salih estimated that Iraq had lost $150 billion to embezzlement since 2003.
