·
·
Sunday, 16 August 2026dailybeirut.com
World
Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission has seized nearly 9 billion dinars and seven gold ingots and jewelry from the home of a deputy minister accused of corruption and illicit enrichment.
The Iraqi Federal Integrity Commission announced it seized, in a landmark operation, approximately 9 billion dinars and seven gold ingots and jewelry at the residence of Khaled Ghzai Atta, deputy minister for transportation and distribution affairs, who is under investigation for corruption and illicit gains.
The commission revealed details of the operation on its Facebook page, stating that a team from Baghdad Investigation Directorate succeeded, after intensive follow-up and investigative efforts, in discovering large sums of money and quantities of gold across several residences belonging to the suspect (Khaled Ghzai Atta), the deputy minister for transportation and distribution affairs, who had previously been subject to an arrest order issued by the commission’s teams.
It stated that the seized funds amounted to 1.175 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $900,000) plus $5.839 million USD, in addition to seven gold ingots and jewelry.
Thus, the total value of the seized cash reaches around $6.74 million, not including the value of the gold.
The commission explained that it formally documented the seizure and submitted the report along with the seized assets to the competent investigating judge for necessary legal action.
This operation followed hours after the Iraqi judiciary announced the seizure of additional funds and assets in a case involving Adnan Al-Jamali, the suspended deputy minister for liquidation affairs at the Ministry of Oil, as the judge from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court reported seizing $20.34 million, along with 200 million Iraqi dinars, recovering 60 kilograms of gold, and confiscating seven vehicles, coordinated with the Kurdistan Region.
Earlier this June, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi directed the Ministry of Finance to establish a special account for depositing recovered funds from individuals involved in illicit enrichment cases, amid the ongoing "Fajr Offensive" campaign, which the government stated had led to the arrest of 21 suspects in its first phase, with ongoing pursuit of additional wanted individuals.
