Iraq’s judiciary has scheduled the trial of Muthanna al-Samarrai, leader of the parliamentary Azm Alliance, for next week on corruption charges, with Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili listed as a witness in the case.
According to a judicial document, the Central Criminal Court for Combating Corruption has set Monday, October 19, as the date for al-Samarrai’s trial.
The document, addressed to the Investigations Department of the Federal Commission of Integrity, indicates that al-Samarrai, who remains in custody, will be tried under Article 319 of Iraq’s Penal Code.
The provision covers offenses involving illicit gains, bribery or public officials benefiting, directly or through intermediaries, from works, contracts or undertakings connected to their official duties.
The court summoned the Oil Ministry’s legal representative, Adnan al-Jumaili, Mustafa Adnan al-Nuaimi, Safa Adnan al-Nuaimi, Ghassan al-Jumaili and Alaa al-Jumaili. All were listed as witnesses, while al-Samarrai was identified as a detained defendant.
The court also instructed the Military Intelligence Directorate to ensure the appearance of al-Samarrai and the witnesses, noting that they were being held by the directorate.
Iraqi authorities arrested al-Samarrai in June during a campaign of detentions known as Dawn Assault, based on information and confessions linked to the Adnan al-Jumaili case.
The operation, launched on June 28, 2026, on the orders of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office in May, initially involved a broad security and judicial crackdown on corruption. Its momentum soon slowed amid political pressure, according to local reports.
Contract mediation
Haider al-Mulla, a senior Azm Alliance official, told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Samarrai had not denied allegations raised during questioning concerning his intervention on behalf of a businessman with former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to secure the award of a commercial contract.
Al-Mulla maintained, however, that al-Samarrai had not subsequently interfered in the contract’s award process or its financial arrangements.
He described passing such requests to executive authorities as a common practice among politicians.
Al-Mulla stressed that the Azm Alliance respected judicial decisions and believed in the course of justice, adding that the evidence presented so far did not indicate allegations of unexplained wealth or other offenses beyond the mediation issue.
Asked whether the case would affect the alliance’s participation in the government led by al-Zaidi, he noted that Azm was entitled to two ministerial portfolios: planning and culture.
Legal implications
Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi explained that Iraq’s Code of Criminal Procedure allows one defendant to testify against another, after which the court may initiate separate proceedings for each.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Tamimi described this as an established practice in investigative courts.
He added that a defendant’s testimony is recorded and considered in a separate official record, while the individual’s legal status as a defendant remains subject to judicial proceedings.
