Six-year prison sentence for Al-Azm coalition leader Muthanna al-Samarrai on corruption charges

The Central Criminal Court for Combating Corruption in Baghdad on Thursday, 29 October 2026, issued a six-year prison sentence against Al-Azm coalition leader and MP Muthanna al-Samarrai after convicting him on charges related to corruption in the case linked to former Oil Ministry official Adnan al-Jumaili, according to judicial sources.

Trial under Article 319 of the Penal Code

The court had scheduled al-Samarrai's trial under the provisions of Article 319 of the Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, as amended, which relates to an employee profiting from work or contracts connected to his post, with reference to joint provisions 47, 48 and 49 of the same law. Al-Samarrai was listed in the case documents as a detained defendant.

The court held the first hearing in the case on 19 October and at that time rejected the defendant's request for an adjournment, heard witnesses including al-Jumaili, and then adjourned the session until Thursday.

Arrest in the June sweep

Al-Azm coalition leader, MP Muthanna al-Samarrai (Archive - Media Office of the Iraqi Council of Representatives)

Al-Samarrai was arrested at dawn on 28 June 2026 as part of a wide operation carried out under judicial arrest warrants that targeted MPs and current and former officials. At the time the Federal Integrity Commission said it had begun executing those warrants as part of files related to financial and administrative corruption and the recovery of public funds.

The investigations into the case date back to October 2025, following reports of suspicions that candidates spent large sums on their election campaigns using state resources and benefited from government contracts in return for commissions and personal gains.

The verdict is subject to cassation appeal

The verdict issued by the criminal court is subject to appeal before the Federal Court of Cassation under Iraqi law. No official comment has yet been issued by the Al-Azm coalition or by the defense team; the coalition had previously called, after the arrest, for the case to be handled in accordance with constitutional and legal guarantees and for the judiciary not to be prejudged.

Al-Samarrai's trial is part of a series of trials for detainees from the June sweep. On Monday, 26 October 2026, the trial of MP Ziyad al-Janabi, leader of the Tashree' Party, began, and verdicts in other cases are expected in the coming weeks.