Integrity Commission searches for buried cash in Baghdad farms

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Integrity Commission raided farms owned by Services Alliance (Khadamat) leader Shibl Al-Zaidi and former Labor Minister and Coordination Framework leader Ahmed Al-Asadi in Baghdad on Sunday, a security source told Shafaq News.

The raid on Al-Zaidi's farm was part of a search for money suspected to be buried on the property, the source said. A second team simultaneously raided Al-Asadi's farm in the same area.

Both operations were still underway at the time of reporting, the source added.

An Iraqi government source told Shafaq News earlier this week that the return of stolen funds and confiscation of assets acquired with public money could recover about 10 trillion dinars ($7.6 billion). Authorities have also named 40 individuals suspected of corruption, among them four lawmakers, serving and former deputy ministers, directors-general, intermediaries, and prominent business owners from across Iraq's communities.

On June 28, the Iraqi government launched the “Dawn Crackdown” (Sawlat Al-Fajr) anti-corruption campaign. Official numbers reveal at least 47 arrests during its first 24 hours, while Federal Commission of Integrity sources placed the number at 67 and said the operation could target more than 200 suspects.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown by numbers: 67 arrests explained