DUBAI, UAE - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has directed an investigation into the Director-General of the General Tax Authority following the circulation of an audio recording allegedly implicating the official in corruption.

In a statement released late Monday, Sudani's office said the prime minister instructed Iraq's Commission of Integrity to “urgently investigate the leaked audio attributed to the Director-General of the General Tax Authority” and to “swiftly present the findings.”

Sudani emphasized that the probe aligns with his administration's commitment to combating corruption, a top priority of his government’s agenda.

The audio recording, which surfaced on social media over the weekend, allegedly features Ali Waad al-Alawi, head of the tax authority, discussing the manipulation of tax funds for the benefit of private companies in exchange for personal financial gain.

“My dear Abu Fahd, the first one has been completed today. Tomorrow, the team will hand you the clearance certificate and the document needed for entering the tenders that you wanted, along with the clearance certificate,” al-Alawi says in the leaked audio.

The audio leak includes talk about not consulting the lawyer because “he talks too much, and everyone knows that the transaction cannot be facilitated.”

The leak also mentions the completion of one document, with another in progress, and suggests that he should “settle up with the person [Abu Fahd] who is processing the transaction for him.”

Sudani’s government has placed anti-corruption measures at the forefront of its policy objectives, with the Commission of Integrity receiving expanded oversight to curb long-standing issues of financial misconduct in public offices.