Shafaq News- Ankara (Updated at 22:59)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has placed the extradition of former lawmakers and senior officials implicated in financial corruption on his agenda for his visit to Turkiye, aiming to bring them before the Iraqi judiciary, a government source revealed on Tuesday evening.

Al-Zaidi will raise with Turkish officials the handover of former MPs and senior figures wanted by Iraq's judiciary over their involvement in major corruption cases tied to public funds, adding that he is working to recover the money to shore up the state treasury.

The issue is expected to serve as a pressure point on Ankara, the source noted, as those involved hold Turkish citizenship and have deposited large sums in Turkish banks.

Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission (CoI) chairman, Mohammed Ali Al-Lami, said on Tuesday that officials implicated in corruption would find "no shelter" outside Iraq, calling for stronger international cooperation to trace fugitives and recover stolen public assets.

Speaking during the Iraqi government's visit to Turkiye, Al-Lami noted that Baghdad was seeking to deepen cooperation with Ankara and other partner countries to track the proceeds of corruption, exchange information and expertise, and facilitate the recovery of embezzled funds.

"Iraq's anti-corruption efforts at home must be matched by effective international legal and diplomatic cooperation in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption."

Al-Lami added that Iraqi authorities would pursue all available legal and diplomatic avenues to locate suspects and convicted fugitives abroad, stressing that the commission was working with international partners to prevent corrupt officials from finding safe havens and to return public funds to the state treasury.

Iraq launched the first phase of its anti-corruption campaign on June 28, targeting the recovery of public funds. The campaign, dubbed Dawn Crackdown, has led to the arrest of politicians, lawmakers, and business figures.

Read more: Iraqi authorities detain 31 in weekly corruption cases