Iraqi court sentences two prominent politicians to prison in corruption case

Show caption: Iraq seizes $20m cash, 60kgs gold. Photo: Iraq Judiciary

Muthana Al Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance, and Ziad Al Janabi were ordered to pay millions of dollars

Iraq's Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced two prominent politicians to prison and ordered them to pay billions of dinars in fines, verdicts stemming from the government's sweeping anti-corruption campaign, a court official told The National.

The court sentenced Muthana Al Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance, to six years in prison and ordered him to pay 30 billion Iraqi dinars, about $22 million, he said.

It sentenced lawmaker Ziad Al Janabi to five years of severe imprisonment and ordered him to pay 4 billion dinars, about $3 million, he added.

Both men are prominent Sunni politicians who were arrested in June as part of Operation Dawn Crackdown, a high-profile anti-corruption drive launched by the government of Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi.

The government has said the operation targeted current and former lawmakers and senior officials, and that security forces seized billions of dinars, millions of US dollars, and gold jewellery and bars from properties linked to suspects.

Mr Al Samarrai leads one of the main Sunni blocs in parliament and was a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Mr Al Janabi is also a sitting MP from Baghdad.

The convictions come as part of a series of trials involving four figures arrested in the same sweep. Hussein Talib, former director-general of the Oil Products Distribution Company, was sentenced to eight years and a fine of 55 billion Iraqi dinars on Tuesday.

Under Iraqi law, the verdicts can be appealed within 30 days before the Court of Cassation.

The government has framed the Dawn Crackdown as evidence of its commitment to fighting entrenched corruption, which has fueled repeated public protests. Critics, however, say the campaign has disproportionately targeted Sunni politicians and rival Shiite ones, an accusation the government denies.

Updated:

October 29, 2026, 9:21 AM