Iraq's judiciary said on Monday that authorities have seized a further 25 billion Iraqi dinars ($19 million), $1 million in cash and five kilograms of gold jewellery as part of a corruption investigation involving a detained minister.
The Supreme Judicial Council said the money was discovered hidden inside plastic water bottles at the home of Adnan Al Jumaili, deputy oil minister for refining affairs, in Tikrit. In a statement carried by Iraq News Agency, it said the raid was part of an investigation into funds allegedly obtained through irregularities in government projects.
The latest seizure brings the total assets confiscated in the case to 127 billion Iraqi dinars, $24 million in cash, plus properties, vehicles and gold jewellery, the council said.
Mr Al Jumaili was arrested last month on suspicion of corruption involving refinery contracts. The council added that investigations are continuing and authorities are pursuing other suspects linked to the case.
At the time of the minister's arrest, the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said investigators had confiscated about $10 million, three billion Iraqi dinars, 1.5kg of gold, around 40 properties in Baghdad, Salaheddin and Erbil provinces, as well as a cache of weapons.
A security official previously told The National that the investigation centred on billions of dollars in alleged kickbacks and embezzlement linked to refinery projects, adding that several ministry employees had been arrested while others remained under investigation.
Late last month, Iraqi security forces arrested 47 legislators and officials as part of a broader anti-corruption campaign ordered by Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi, a government representative said.
Elite Counter Terrorism Service units raided homes inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in overnight operations, detaining multiple suspects, legal and security sources said at the time.
Mr Al Zaidi, who took office in May, has pledged to tackle entrenched corruption, which remains one of Iraq's most persistent challenges despite repeated promises by successive governments to hold officials accountable.
Government spokesman Haider Al Aboudi said arrests were continuing, describing them as part of a wider effort in which “fighting corruption remained a central pillar of [the government's] efforts to strengthen state institutions and protect public funds”.
Among those detained was Ali Maarij, deputy oil minister for distribution affairs, the sources said.
