Iraq's judiciary on Tuesday said it had seized more than $85 million in a corruption case against a recently arrested oil official, with some of the cash hidden underground. Last month, Iraqi authorities arrested deputy oil minister for refining affairs Adnan al-Jumaili in Salaheddin province in northern Iraq. The total amount seized since Jumaili's arrest now exceeds 98 billion dinars (equivalent to over $74 million), along with $11 million, the Supreme Judicial Council said. Investigations into Jumaili's activities related to "squandering funds in projects carried by the accused" and others involved in the case led "today to the seizure of more than 67 billion dinars and one million dollars", the council added. Some of the cash was hidden inside homes, while the rest was buried four meters deep and had to be dug out with specialized machinery. Authorities had previously confiscated 70 properties and 21 vehicles in the case. Like all his predecessors, Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has vowed to fight corruption and mismanagement that have plagued Iraq for decades. Corruption is especially rampant across the country's public institutions, but convictions typically target mid-level officials or minor players and rarely those at the top of the power hierarchy. In 2024, an Iraqi court sentenced to prison former senior officials, a businessman and others for involvement in the theft of $2.5 billion in public funds -- one of Iraq's biggest corruption cases.
