Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's Parliament said on Thursday that its decision to lift parliamentary immunity from several lawmakers at the judiciary's request helped pave the way for the nationwide anti-corruption campaign dubbed “Dawn Crackdown,” urging the government to expand investigations into the country's largest corruption cases.
Lawmakers identified seven priority sectors for investigation: the tax system, including the “Theft of the Century” embezzlement case; the energy sector, including electricity contracts and investment agreements; licensing for residential, industrial, commercial, and educational projects; housing and reconstruction contracts; the health sector, including hospitals and pharmaceutical imports; transport projects, including port contracts and the recent railway case; and procurement deals at the defense and interior ministries involving alleged fictitious arms contracts and defective equipment.
Calling corruption “the greatest challenge facing Iraq's political system,” Parliament argued that years of reform efforts had produced few tangible results and, at times, enabled the misuse of public funds. It viewed the launch of the campaign as “the start of a new phase in tackling corruption” and pledged to assist investigative authorities by sharing information gathered through its specialized committees while tracking progress through a dedicated parliamentary panel. The legislature also committed to using its legislative and oversight powers to help recover misappropriated public funds and reinforce anti-corruption institutions.
Iraqi authorities launched the “Dawn Crackdown” on June 28 under the direction of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. A source familiar with the operation previously told Shafaq News that authorities detained 67 people during the first 24 hours, while another source said the first phase targets more than 200 figures within 72 hours, as part of a wider six-month track to fight corruption and recover public money.
Read more: Iraq detains top officials in anti-corruption sweep: What we know so far