Iraq’s Finance Ministry insists on full recovery of corruption funds

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Finance Ministry said on Saturday that any mechanism for repaying funds owed by convicted corruption offenders must guarantee the full recovery of state money, stressing that judicial matters remain outside its mandate.

The ministry explained that its role in corruption-related cases is limited to financial matters and safeguarding the Treasury's rights, while any repayment arrangement must be binding and enforceable to protect public funds. It also confirmed that requests for amnesty and other judicial procedures remain solely within the judiciary's authority under the applicable legal framework.

On Friday, the Supreme Judicial Council said it was coordinating with Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's government on a legal framework that would ease judicial measures against corruption suspects who voluntarily return stolen public funds. Najaf's Friday prayer leader, Sadr al-Din al-Qubanji, rejected the proposal, warning it would encourage further corruption and urging the judiciary to handle corruption cases "with complete justice and firmness."

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