Iraqi authorities have seized 2.5 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.9 million) from the home of a former senior finance official, who is now being held on corruption charges.
The Federal Integrity Commission said on Tuesday that a provincial office team recovered the cash from the residence of the former director of Salahaddin province's accounts department.
The operation was carried out under a judicial warrant, it said. Investigators also uncovered six investment properties registered in the name of the suspect’s wife.
The former official is being detained in connection with an investigation into alleged financial misconduct.
The commission said the accounts department processed a cheque drawn on state-owned Al Rafidain Bank to pay employee entitlements and salary adjustments, but the transaction was supported by fraudulent receipts.
A report documenting the seized cash and assets has been submitted to the investigating judge, who will determine whether further legal action is required, the commission said.
The case is the latest in a series of anti-corruption investigations launched by Iraqi authorities as the government seeks to strengthen oversight of public finances and tackle malpractice within state institutions.
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.
Since then, authorities have seized millions of dollars in cash from the homes of former officials. Among those arrested was Adnan Al Jumaili, who was Iraq's deputy oil minister for refining affairs. Authorities seized cash worth more than $20 million at his house in Tikrit.
Earlier this month, Iraq's anti-corruption authorities also arrested three senior military officers and five engineers over alleged irregularities in the awarding of a $71 million contract to renovate and equip a military hospital in Baghdad.
Mr Al Zaidi, who took office in May, has made tackling corruption a top priority, launching a campaign aiming to recover public funds and hold those responsible accountable.
Corruption has been rife in Iraq under successive governments elected since the US-led invasion of 2003, which toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Billions of dollars given to the government for reconstruction were misused.
The widespread corruption has flattened the country’s drive 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.
