Monday AM Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 6-29-2026

TNT:

Tishwash:A high-ranking source: Several individuals accused in corruption cases were arrested based on Al-Jumaili's confessions.

A high-level source reported on Sunday that a number of suspects in corruption cases have been arrested, based on confessions made by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, Adnan al-Jumaili.

The source told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “a number of individuals accused in corruption cases were arrested based on confessions made by the Deputy Minister of Oil, Adnan al-Jumaili,” noting that “the arrests included members of parliament whose immunity had been lifted and officials whose names appeared in those confessions.”

The source added that “Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zubaidi will not hesitate to pursue those involved in corruption and the misappropriation of state funds.”  link

Tishwash:  From Baghdad to Ankara: Money laundering networks for corrupt officials in Iraq exposed

A Syrian source revealed on Sunday the existence of money smuggling networks operating between Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

The source told the Information Agency: "There is a money smuggling network managed by Syrian figures. Smuggled funds are transferred to certain Iraqi political figures accused of corruption, including individuals close to Sarmad al-Khanjar, son of the head of the Sovereignty Alliance, and Mohammed al-Halbousi, head of the Progress Party, as well as other figures associated with Muthanna al-Samarrai."

The source added that "Syrian figures close to Turkish-backed factions, such as the former Hamza Division (which was later integrated into the 76th Division, a unit of the de facto government's Ministry of Defense), are also involved." The source explained that "this division oversees the smuggling of funds from Iraq to Syria, and then their transfer to Turkey."

He confirmed that "the mastermind behind this network is a Syrian man residing in the Aleppo countryside and close to Turkey, named Abdul Rahman al-Mawali," explaining that "this network works to smuggle millions of dollars for corrupt figures linked to corruption cases in Iraq, depositing them in Turkish banks under the names of Syrians."  link

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Tishwash:  Government advisor: Recovering looted funds enhances the climate of trust and transparency.

The financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, confirmed on Sunday that recovering public funds looted due to corruption enhances the climate of trust and transparency.

Saleh said in a press statement that “recovering public funds that have left the economic cycle due to corruption or misappropriation of public funds is not only important in terms of its direct financial value, but also reflects a clear governmental will to combat corruption and restore the rights of the state, which enhances the confidence of citizens and investors in national institutions.”

Recovering stolen funds

He added that “the recovered funds contribute to easing the pressures on the general budget and reducing the need for borrowing, as well as providing additional resources that can be directed towards developing infrastructure and the health, education, housing and basic services sectors.”

He pointed out that “returning these funds to the official cycle of the national economy stimulates economic activity and supports government investment spending, especially if they are employed in productive and developmental projects capable of creating job opportunities and stimulating sustainable growth.”

Saleh explained that “the state’s success in pursuing and recovering looted funds sends reassuring messages to the local and international business community, enhances the climate of trust and transparency, and encourages attracting more investments.”

He explained that “integrating these funds into national development plans and Iraq’s Vision 2050 makes them an effective tool to support economic reform and achieve sustainable development goals.”  link

Tishwash:  Calls for a mutually beneficial economic partnership with Washington

 In light of what the Prime Minister has put forward regarding moving towards economic cooperation with the United States of America, economic experts explained that Iraq seeks to invest in the Strategic Framework Agreement with the United States to reduce total dependence on oil revenues, as the visit of the Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, to Washington falls within the efforts to strengthen economic relations and transform them “from military to economic partnership.”

 The necessity of partnership

In this regard, international economic expert Dr. Nabil Al-Abadi explained that the economic partnership with America must be economically viable and stem from genuine integration between the two countries, as Iraq possesses the resources and the United States possesses the technology. 

Capital and expertise.

Al-Abadi added, in an interview with Al-Sabah, that Iraq, which suffers from a fragile rentier economy and structural inflation, therefore partnership is not a strategic option but a necessity for restructuring it, provided that we read it with the logic of mutual gain and not dependency, pointing out that the benefits are not in loans, but in technology transfer, as America has an energy revolution (associated and shale gas) and water management and smart agriculture technologies, and Iraq needs a technical partnership, not a financial one, that moves it from importing technology to localizing it. Likewise, restructuring the Iraqi banking sector according to FATF standards should not be seen as guardianship, but as a gateway to integration into the global financial system, which will attract non-oil investments.

Partnership pillars

He believed that the partnership should be based on three pillars. The first is that there should be no contract without a binding timetable for completion, and no project without an Iraqi employment rate of no less than 60%. The second pillar is oil for expertise, not oil for debt, meaning we do not accept loans that drain liquidity, but rather partnerships in the field of renewable energy and infrastructure in exchange for facilities for American companies, to balance the trade balance. He added that the third and final pillar is that there should be no signing of comprehensive agreements in haste, but rather the partnership should be sectoral (energy, health, education) and decomposable, so that we are not held hostage to a single file.

The international economist warned against treating this partnership as a "political project," explaining that if the "Deal of the Century" remains merely a declaration of intent, we will lose a golden opportunity. The American market is the largest in the world, but it is unforgiving. We must raise our ambitions from simply being oil suppliers to becoming partners in supply chains (especially for rare earth minerals found in the mountains of Iraq).

Al-Abadi concluded that partnership with America is possible and beneficial, but it has inevitable conditions, and the opportunity exists, but it needs the mindset of a tough negotiator, noting that Iraq has human capital and land, and America has technology and access to markets.

He explained that when the scales are balanced, we can say: we are making a partnership, not an economic surrender treaty, calling for our deal to be a win-win deal, otherwise let the deal be suspended, because a loss in timing is worse than a loss in the deal itself.

Development paths

In a related context, Jassim Al-Aradi, a member of the Baghdad Economic Forum, considered the economic partnership between Iraq and the United States an important opportunity to redirect bilateral relations towards development paths that achieve the highest levels of benefit based on investment, technology transfer and capacity building, instead of being limited to traditional trade relations. He indicated that Iraq possesses great potential that qualifies it to attract major American companies in the energy, industry, infrastructure, digital economy, agriculture and financial services sectors, which contributes to diversifying national income sources and reducing dependence on oil revenues.

Al-Aradi told Al-Sabah that the partnership should be based on the principle of mutual interests, by attracting quality investments that provide job opportunities for Iraqis, support the transfer of knowledge and modern technologies, and enhance local industries and production chains, while giving priority to projects that achieve added value for the national economy and contribute to increasing non-oil exports.

He added that the success of the partnership requires creating a stable investment environment by developing economic legislation, simplifying administrative procedures, enhancing transparency and protecting the investor, in addition to activating the role of the Iraqi private sector as a key partner in implementing projects, in order to ensure that the local economy benefits from foreign investments and that they are not limited to the implementation of contracts only.

Expanding areas of cooperation

For his part, expert and economist Hassan Ali Al-Daghari called for expanding the areas of cooperation to include technical education, vocational training, digital transformation, and energy. 

He emphasized the importance of renewable energy and developing the banking sector, noting that these sectors are fundamental pillars for building a more competitive and sustainable economy. He added that the more partnerships are linked to programs for transferring expertise and building national capabilities, the greater their positive impact on development. Economic.

Al-Daghari pointed out, in an interview with Al-Sabah, that the success of the economic partnership with the United States is not measured by the size of the agreements signed, but rather by its ability to achieve tangible results represented in increasing investment, creating job opportunities, developing industry and production, and strengthening Iraq's position as an economic center. And my investment in the region.  link