Iraqi PM Discusses Anti-Corruption Measures with Judiciary

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (AP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (AP)
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Iraqi PM Discusses Anti-Corruption Measures with Judiciary

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (AP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (AP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Sunday that his government is working on ensuring the independence of the Iraqi judiciary.

Sudani’s statement followed two separate meetings he held with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Faiq Zaidan and President of the Federal Supreme Court Judge Jassim Mohammed Abboud.

During his meeting with Abboud, Sudani stressed the importance of the rule of law that should prevail in all circumstances and that the government demonstrates in all its actions that Iraq is a country governed by the constitution and the law.

Abboud, for his part, the importance of consolidating the supremacy of the authority of the law above all institutions and for the judiciary to be the citadel that guarantees to provide the grounds for achieving the will of the Iraqi people, stressing the government's support for the implementation of its governmental program.

In his meeting with Zaidan, Sudani discussed ways of fighting corruption in Iraq.

The Iraqi judiciary had issued a decision to release the main suspect, in what was known as “the theft of the century,” Nour Zuhair Jassim, in exchange for recovering the money he admitted to stealing.

Jassim had embezzled about one trillion Iraqi dinars (about $800 million).

Moreover, the Iraqi Judicial Authority released Haitham al-Jubouri on bail, one of the primary perpetrators behind a corruption scheme that led to the theft of at least $2.5 billion from the bank accounts of the country's General Commission of Taxes last year.

Jubouri was the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and adviser to Iraq's former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. He stands accused of embezzlement of millions of dollars in public funds.

At a time when the judiciary determined the legal justifications according to the Iraqi laws in force, which allow bail in such cases regardless of the amount of stolen money, there was widespread criticism of both the government and the judiciary for releasing the perpetrators.



At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

At least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, security sources said.

Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was an ISIS member. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, the ministry added in a statement.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up.

Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as putting the preliminary casualty toll at nine dead and 13 injured.

Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from within the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered church pews and masonry.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said in a post on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship ... and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”