Iraqi political officials arrested on corruption charges, including MPs
Several Iraqi political officials, including five MPs, were arrested on corruption charges after a raid in Baghdad's Green Zone.
Iraqi security forces sealed off the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad early Sunday and carried out raids inside the compound that houses key government institutions and foreign embassies. Multiple political officials were arrested on corruption charges, according to Iraq's state-run Iraqi News Agency. The arrests were based on statements made by former Deputy Minister of Oil Adnan al-Jumaili, who was arrested last month. The detainees included members of Parliament whose immunity had been lifted.
A security agency report obtained by The Associated Press said that seven people were arrested, among them five MPs. Some of the arrestees were from the political bloc of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Al-Sudani's bloc won the largest share of seats in November's parliamentary elections, but he ultimately stepped aside amid a deadlock in the Coordination Framework — a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran — over their preferred candidate for premier. He was replaced by Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer who emerged as a consensus candidate and received the blessing of the United States.
The specific accusations against the arrested individuals were not immediately clear. The arrests are likely to have ripple effects across Iraq's fractured political landscape, where accusations of corruption frequently intersect with rivalries over power and influence.
