Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has said a new wave of arrests targeting lawmakers, politicians and officials on corruption charges is only the beginning, pledging to pursue graft “night and day” and to recover public funds.Security forces carried out a series of arrests inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone during the night between Saturday and Sunday, detaining dozens of current and former officials.As of Sunday afternoon, Iraqi authorities had arrested 47 legislators and officials on corruption charges, the Iraqi News Agency reported, citing a senior government official. It published the names of 15 politicians detained based on information provided by former deputy oil minister Adnan Al Jumaili, who was taken into custody last month.“This is the first phase. The issue of corruption has not ended yet. We are continuing to fight it,” Mr Al Zaidi said during a cabinet meeting late on Sunday, with the remarks broadcast at dawn Monday.Play00:44Top Iraqi politicians arrested in anti-corruption crackdownThe crackdown has been accompanied by unverified videos shared widely on social media purporting to show stacks of cash seized from the home of Iraqi MP Alia Nassif following her arrest. Posts circulating online say the money amounted to more than 20 billion Iraqi dinars ($15.5 million), although those claims have not been independently verified.“Public money must return to the people,” Mr Al Zaidi, who took office in May, said, framing the campaign as a direct response to public demand for accountability.Pledge for 'new Iraq'“Anyone who has public money, we want him to return the money to its owners. The people’s money returns to the people,” the Iraqi Prime Minister said.“I am entrusted by the citizen who wants a glimmer of hope in his country. Today I am responsible for the people, for their blood and their interests, and I cannot remain silent about any mistake and I will not compromise on the interests of the Iraqi people,” he added.Mr Al Zaidi struck a defiant tone toward officials accused of embezzlement.“Whoever works for the state and steals the money of orphans and the poor is wrong. I tell him: do not stay. I will chase him night and day,” he said.The Prime Minister also sought to reassure Iraqis amid the arrests. “The situation we are seeing cannot be tolerated. In this government, no corrupt person has immunity,” he said.“I reassure our people, God willing, you have good guards. Rest assured about your money. Your money, God willing, is a trust on our necks, and your blood is a trust on our necks, and we will follow up,” he added.Mr Al Zaidi linked the crackdown to broader governance goals, saying the administration intends to mark a break with past practices.“This government will be a distinguished government, God willing,” he said. “Today Iraq will start a new page, a new Iraq."Iraq ranked 136th out of 181 countries on Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, with oil sector contracts a frequent target of graft investigations. Corruption has been rife under successive governments elected after the US-led invasion of 2003, which toppled Saddam Hussein. Billions of dollars given to the government for reconstruction were misused by authorities.