Shafaq News- Baghdad

An international team working with Iraqi authorities is preparing a new list of political and government figures suspected of corruption, misuse of public funds and money smuggling, including two former prime ministers and current and former lawmakers, an informed source told Shafaq News on Wednesday, without identifying them.

The team, which includes international experts specializing in tracing stolen and illicitly transferred funds, has been reviewing evidence and financial records with an Iraqi government team, the source said.

The review covers domestic evidence as well as documents and data tracing money transfers outside Iraq. The international experts have information and records related to both the cases and individuals under scrutiny.

No timeframe has been set for completing the list, and it remains unclear what legal action, if any, could follow. The source said the investigation and asset-recovery effort has received government and political support.

On Aug. 10, a source told Shafaq News that a team of US and other international experts had arrived in Baghdad to work with Iraqi authorities on tracing stolen and smuggled funds, particularly dollar-denominated transfers. The team is examining money trails and identifying parties suspected of stealing or transferring public funds abroad.

Iraq started a broader anti-corruption campaign on June 28 under the name “Dawn Crackdown,” which has led to arrest and detention warrants against political officials, current and former lawmakers and businesspeople.

Read more: Corruption arrests in Iraq pass 210 under PM al-Zaidi

Investigations have since expanded to contracts and suspected corruption involving government institutions, including the oil, health and electricity ministries.