ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq's parliament on Thursday called on the government to press ahead with its anti-corruption campaign, saying it “demands and obliges” authorities to pursue the country's largest corruption cases without delay.

The remarks come after Iraqi authorities launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the early hours of Sunday under the directive of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Security forces entered Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, imposed a lockdown, and arrested dozens of senior officials and lawmakers over alleged corruption.

The parliament said it “demands and obliges the government to press forward without leniency in opening the largest, most dangerous, and most damaging corruption files, within specific timeframes,” according to a statement.

The operation was not limited to the Green Zone, but targeted corruption suspects across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region.

According to parliament, the operation “could not have been launched” without its decision to respond to the Iraqi judiciary's request “to lift immunity from a number of its members.”

The statement identified several major corruption cases that parliament wants authorities to pursue, including the Heist of the Century – the largest corruption scandal in Iraq's modern history – which involved the embezzlement of $2.5 billion in tax funds between September 2021 and August 2022. Some estimates place the stolen amount at around $5 billion, with only a small portion of the funds having been recovered.

Parliament also highlighted alleged corruption in energy contracts, the investment sector, housing and reconstruction, the health sector, transportation, and the military.

It said parliament will “provide relevant information it possesses” to the appropriate anti-corruption bodies and “will also monitor the procedures undertaken through a special parliamentary oversight and follow-up committee.”

The Iraqi government has officially confirmed that at least 21 people were detained during Sunday's operation, dubbed Operation Dawn, on corruption charges. Iraqi state media had initially reported that 47 people were arrested.

Among those detained were Sunni Azm Alliance leader Muthanna al-Samarrai, former Wasit Governor Mohammed Jamil al-Miyahi, Oil Ministry Undersecretary Ali Ma’arij al-Bahadli, and Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, a senior adviser to former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.

The anti-corruption campaign comes as Iraq faces growing financial pressure. The US-Israel war against Iran and subsequent restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz have significantly affected Iraq's oil-dependent revenues, raising concerns that Baghdad could face a financial crisis and struggle to pay public sector salaries.