Iraq's ruling coalition to discuss lifting political immunity in corruption cases

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi is expected to meet leaders of the Shiite ruling Coordination Framework to discuss mechanisms for removing political protection from officials accused of corruption, informed sources told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Wednesday evening, may be postponed until after Al-Zaidi's visit to Tehran, the sources said. The discussions are also expected to cover files involving 12 prominent political and party figures accused of illicit enrichment and misuse of public funds, the sources said. Participants are expected to discuss measures to recover public funds through legal channels, including the possible use of Interpol notices in cases involving suspects outside Iraq.

According to the sources, the previous Coordination Framework meeting exposed divisions over the issue after allegations emerged involving senior political figures.

Iraq launched Dawn Crackdown (Sawlat Al-Fajr), the anti-corruption campaign on June 28, which has targeted current and former officials, lawmakers and business figures. Authorities have also announced preparations for a second phase focusing on corruption cases in the health, oil and electricity ministries, alongside efforts to trace assets inside and outside Iraq.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown by numbers: 67 arrests explained ...