Iraq's judiciary announced Thursday that two senior Sunni politicians had been sentenced to prison for profiting from contracts involving oil refinery companies, as part of a government anti-corruption campaign launched in June.
Muthanna al-Samarrai, leader of Iraq's second-largest Sunni political alliance, was sentenced to six years in prison, while lawmaker Ziad al-Janabi, former chairman of parliament's Integrity Committee, received a five-year sentence.
The Federal Commission of Integrity said in a statement that the two were convicted of benefiting from contracts involving the North and South Refineries companies.
The court also ordered Samarrai to repay 30 billion Iraqi dinars, which the commission said he had obtained by acting as an intermediary in the contracts. Janabi was ordered to return 4 billion dinars that he had gained from the same deals, according to the statement.
Samarrai was arrested on June 28, 2026, in a sweeping crackdown on current and former lawmakers and officials accused of corruption. Local media dubbed the operation "Dawn Assault."
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi launched the campaign after taking office in May, pledging to pursue those implicated in corruption. But the crackdown later lost momentum amid political pressure, according to local media reports.
The refinery case centers partly on Adnan al-Jumaili, a former Oil Ministry official, and allegations of illicit benefits and commissions from government contracts.
Samarrai was prosecuted under Article 319 of Iraq's Penal Code, which prohibits public employees and those entrusted with public duties from benefiting, directly or indirectly, from contracts or projects tied to their official responsibilities.
The rulings follow a string of judicial actions against current and former lawmakers and officials, including Alia Nassif, Talal al-Zobaie, Mohammed al-Karbouli, Baha al-Nouri, Hassan al-Khafaji, Bushra al-Qaisi and Hind al-Abbasi, as well as Oil Ministry officials.
Several wanted officials remain at large, according to available information. Among them is former Labor and Social Affairs Minister Ahmed al-Asadi, who previously led an armed faction within the Popular Mobilization Forces.
Crackdown falls short, former anti-graft chief says
Mousa Faraj, a former head of Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity, said al-Zaidi's campaign marked progress from earlier periods when government decisions helped shield corrupt officials or obstruct oversight bodies and the judiciary.
The campaign had delivered results in the refinery corruption case, drawing on testimony provided by Jumaili to judicial authorities, and had made headway in illicit enrichment investigations, Faraj said.
But he warned that the crackdown remained too narrow, leaving major corruption cases involving currency transactions, real estate, oil smuggling and ghost employees largely outside its reach.
Faraj told Asharq Al-Awsat that the campaign had also failed to hold political blocs accountable for officials accused of corruption, despite their influence and the benefits they derived from some of those implicated.
He said the campaign's effectiveness would hinge on widening investigations, tackling major corruption cases and preventing political blocs from simply replacing convicted members with other candidates from their ranks.
Political power-sharing drives up investment costs
Corruption continues to weigh on Iraq's economy, driving up business costs, obstructing development and discouraging domestic investment, said Nabil al-Marsoumi, an economics professor at the University of Basra.
Marsoumi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the crackdown was a positive step, citing the detention of prominent figures and the recovery of substantial public funds. But he said it had yet to reach everyone involved.
Lasting progress, he said, would require pursuing corruption across all levels of government and cutting off its sources, particularly the system of partisan and political power-sharing.
He also called for stronger, more independent oversight institutions capable of carrying out their duties.
Prison sentences remain open to appeal
Legal expert Saif al-Saadi said both convictions rested on Article 319 of Iraq's Penal Code, which penalizes public employees and those entrusted with public duties who profit, directly or through intermediaries, from contracts or projects they help prepare, award, execute or oversee, or receive commissions linked to them.
The orders to repay the money were based on the amended Federal Commission of Integrity and Illicit Gains Law No. 30 of 2011, particularly Article 19, Saadi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He said criminal court verdicts could be challenged before the Federal Court of Cassation within 30 days of the ruling.
If upheld, the sentences would become final, allowing the remaining legal procedures to proceed.
Any vacancies left by Samarrai and Janabi in parliament would be governed by Iraq's Law on the Replacement of Members of Parliament once the verdicts became final and the necessary legal requirements were met, Saadi said.
