Iraqi Authorities Find 375 kg of Gold in Corruption Case Investigation

JAKARTA - A total of 375 kilograms of gold was found during an investigation related to the detained Deputy Minister of Oil, Adnan Al Jumaili, in Iraq, the Supreme Judicial Council announced on Monday.

He was arrested last month on corruption allegations. Investigators suspect billions of dollars in bribes and embezzlement related to oil refinery contracts, according to security officials familiar with the case.

The case is part of a wider anti-corruption campaign launched by Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi after he took office in May.

"In coordination with the Kurdistan Region, and under the supervision of the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Faiq Zaidan, 358 kg of gold has been found," said the judicial council, which was carried by Iraqi state media, reported by The National (13/7)

He added that another 17 kg of gold was seized in a separate investigation, bringing the total to 375 kg.

The Judicial Council further said that the seized gold had been handed over to the Central Bank of Iraq as part of efforts to complete the investigation into the Al Jumaili case.

Previously, investigators had found piles of money hidden in water bottles, walls and drains in a series of shocking discoveries since his arrest.

More than $100 million in cash has been seized. Last month, Iraqi security personnel arrested 47 lawmakers and other officials in a series of raids.

Some of the suspects involved in the Al Jumaili case could be protected by an amnesty law amended in January 2025, which means they could escape punishment if they return the unpaid funds.

Corruption has run rampant in Iraq under successive elected governments since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

In 2021, former president Barham Salih estimated that $150 billion had been lost to embezzlement since then.