ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi authorities seized cash totaling nearly $7 million and seven gold bars at the residence of Khalid Ghazai Attiya, a detained electricity ministry undersecretary, two days following his arrest, the Integrity Commission announced Sunday, as Baghdad ramps up efforts to clamp down on corruption.  

Under a judicial warrant, authorities in Baghdad carried out a special operation into Attiya’s residence, seizing cash totaling 1,175,000,000 Iraqi dinars (~$900,000)  and 5,839,000 dollars, as well as seven gold bars, according to the commission’s statement.

“A proper seizure report was prepared for the operation, and it was presented, along with the seized items, to the competent investigating judge to take the necessary legal measures,” the Integrity Commission said.

The undersecretary was detained on Friday. While the reason for his detention was not immediately revealed, it came amid a renewed crackdown on corruption suspects by the Iraqi government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Attiya’s official job title is “senior chief engineer,” and he has held multiple high-ranking positions within the Iraqi electricity ministry since his appointment in 1998.

In addition to his role as undersecretary, Attiya has also been the Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Company for Electricity Transmission/Northern Region since 2019. He is also listed as the ministry’s representative on the Iraqi-German joint committee, and as the head of the German KfW Development Bank Loan Team from 2017 until now.

The Iraqi electricity ministry’s website states that Attiya has “received more than 50 letters of appreciation from various entities” throughout his tenure, while adding that he has never been the subject of any penalties.

In June, Attiya conducted field supervision for the ministry’s “comprehensive campaign” targeting illegal connections from the national power grid. The campaign resulted in imposing fines on violators amounting to around 3.2 billion Iraqi dinars (~$2.4 million).

Earlier on Sunday, Iraq’s judiciary announced that an additional $20 million and 60 kilograms of gold, as well as seven cars, were confiscated in the corruption case of Adnan al-Jumaili, the detained oil ministry undersecretary for refining affairs.

Iraqi authorities announced the arrests of former Labor and Social Affairs Minister Ahmed al-Asadi and Former Salahaddin Governor Ahmed al-Jubouri, also known as Abu Mazin, on corruption charges earlier in the month.

The anti-graft crackdown started in late June with a sweeping raid of Baghdad’s Green Zone, where much of the Iraqi government’s administrative nerve is concentrated. The raid saw the arrest of several high-ranking Iraqi officials.

Zaidi’s clampdown on corruption has witnessed widespread support across the Iraqi political sphere, including the ruling Coordination Framework.