The Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq announced that preliminary investigations with the Deputy Minister of Oil for Distribution Affairs, Ali Ma'araj, led to the seizure of huge sums of money in his possession, estimated at 11 million US dollars and 4 billion Iraqi dinars.
The investigating judge at the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court said in an official statement that "the initial investigations with the detained defendant Ali Ma'araj resulted in the seizure of sums of money amounting to $11 million and 4 billion Iraqi dinars, in addition to the seizure of a number of properties," noting that the investigations are still ongoing to uncover the circumstances of the case and the extent of involvement in it.
This development comes as part of a wide-ranging arrest campaign that Iraq witnessed on June 28, 2026, targeting political and government officials, members of parliament, and businessmen, on the grounds of corruption and abuse of power, in a move described as the most extensive of its kind in recent years to combat financial and administrative corruption in state institutions.
The Ministry of Oil is one of the most prominent ministries that witnessed oversight actions during the campaign, amid repeated accusations of wasting public money, corruption, and mismanagement of oil wealth, as the investigation with the Undersecretary of the Ministry focuses on suspicious deals and contracts for the distribution of oil derivatives.
No official comment has been issued by the accused or his defense team so far, while investigations continue to complete the legal procedures and refer the file to the competent judiciary for a decision.
