ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Saturday called on citizens to report corruption cases, while instructing that a “substantial” financial reward be granted to informants, coming amid an intense crackdown by Baghdad to curb corruption.

Zaidi’s cabinet launched a large-scale anti-graft campaign late last week, when security forces entered Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, and arrested scores of senior officials and lawmakers over alleged corruption and theft of public resources. 

Zaidi on Saturday urged “all citizens to report any assets or public funds obtained through corruption crimes, in order to contribute to their discovery, recovery, and return to the state,” his office said in a statement.

The premier has directed that “a substantial financial reward be granted to informants … in appreciation of their national role and in support of efforts to combat corruption and protect public funds,” the statement added.

The Iraqi government has officially confirmed that at least 21 people were detained during the crackdown 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-Mayahi, Oil Ministry Undersecretary Ali Ma’arij al-Bahadli, and Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, a senior adviser to former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.

Zaidi’s campaign has enjoyed broad support from the Iraqi public as well as myriad notable politicians and officials across the country.

On Thursday, the Iraqi parliament called on the government to press ahead with the campaign, saying it “demands and obliges” authorities to pursue the country's largest corruption cases without delay.

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.