Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq's Commission of Integrity (COI) recovered $17.4 million in stolen funds and activated a network of international databases to track corruption cases, the body announced on Monday.

According to a statement, the commission has created a direct-access window to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) databases and files related to anti-corruption investigations. The move, it said, strengthens its ability to track wanted individuals and recover stolen assets while significantly reducing the time required to obtain information.

The Commission also gained access to the Integrated Consular Affairs System (ICASS) operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, allowing it to view data on Iraqi nationals residing abroad to enhance the precision and effectiveness of tracking fugitives.

These measures come as Iraq confronts systemic corruption that officials say has cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars since 2003. In 2021, then-President Barham Salih revealed that an estimated $150 billion in oil revenues had been stolen and smuggled out of Iraq in corrupt deals since the US invasion.

Iraq was then shaken in 2022 by the so-called “Theft of the Century,” in which $2.5 billion was embezzled from the Tax Authority’s account at Rafidain Bank.

Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Iraq 140th out of 180 countries with a score of 26 out of 100, as more than 10 million Iraqis remain below the poverty line despite the country's immense oil wealth.

In February 2025, a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted an increase in prosecutions of high-ranking officials, including parliament members, ministers, and governors.