Iraqi investigators have seized mounds of cash in a wide-ranging corruption inquiry involving politicians and officials. Photo: INAInfoAuthorities offer to 'ease legal procedures' in return for co-operation in startling scandalThe NationalJuly 10, 2026Suspects in Iraq's corruption scandal could be offered lighter punishments if they pay back ill-gotten funds, it was announced on Friday. The Iraqi judiciary said it was working with Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi, who has spearheaded an anti-corruption drive since taking office in May, to recover the stolen money.Investigators have found stashes of money hidden in water bottles, walls and a drainpipe in a series of startling finds since an oil minister was arrested on suspicion of corruption last month. More than $100 million has been seized. On Friday, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said it would apply a two-pronged strategy - to punish offenders and recover the stolen money - developed after Iraq's so-called "heist of the century", in which $2.5 billion was stolen from public accounts. In the present case, some suspects could be covered by an amnesty law amended in January 2025, meaning they may escape punishment if they pay back any outstanding funds. A new procedure will be brought in for more recent offences. "Research is currently under way, in agreement with the Prime Minister, to develop a roadmap ... [for] recovering state funds in exchange for easing legal procedures against those who voluntarily return those funds," the Judicial Council said. Stashes of Iraqi and US currency have been seized in the corruption case, as well as properties, vehicles and gold jewellery. Iraqi security personnel last month arrested 47 legislators and officials in a series of raids. Investigators have alleged that billions of dollars in kickbacks and embezzlement were connected to refinery projects, according to security officials familiar with the case.Corruption has been rife in Iraq under successive governments elected since the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein. In 2021, former president Barham Salih estimated that Iraq had lost $150 billion to embezzlement since then. The "heist of the century" case was brought to a verdict in 2024, when the main suspect, businessman Noor Zuhair Jassim, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in his absence. His whereabouts are unknown. The Judicial Council suggested on Friday that an agreement could still be reached for Jassim to repay the money under the amnesty law. It said lawyers for Jassim had not responded to an Iraqi court's requests. Updated: July 10, 2026, 4:01 PM