The Iraqi Parliament on Thursday called on the federal government to accelerate investigations into the country's largest corruption cases after voting to lift parliamentary immunity from several lawmakers, describing the move as a decisive step toward holding those accused of corruption accountable.

In a statement, the Council of Representatives said corruption has become the greatest challenge facing Iraq's political system.

“For many years, the scourge of corruption has been eating away at the foundations of our state, until it became the greatest challenge facing the political system,” the parliament said.

The legislature urged the government, led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, to continue its nationwide anti-corruption campaign, known as Operation Dawn, by opening investigations into the country's most significant and financially damaging corruption files within clear timeframes.

Launched on Sunday in coordination with Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity, Operation Dawn has already resulted in the arrest of dozens of politicians and government employees, while authorities have also recovered tens of millions of dollars in allegedly stolen public funds.

Parliament stated that its decision to lift the immunity of several lawmakers had “paved the way” for broader accountability efforts and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting anti-corruption institutions.

The Council identified seven priority corruption files for investigation:

Tax fraud.
Electricity and power plant contracts.
Investment licensing irregularities.
Inflated housing and reconstruction projects.
Corruption in the health sector and medicine imports.
Port and railway contracts in the transport sector.
Fraudulent arms procurement deals involving the Ministries of Defence and Interior.

The legislature said it would provide anti-corruption authorities with all relevant information in its possession and continue monitoring the investigations to ensure justice is served, stolen public funds are recovered, and legal procedures are carried out in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution.

The parliamentary statement came one day after Iraqi judge and legal adviser to the Prime Minister, Munir Haddad, revealed that more than $2 trillion has allegedly been looted from Iraq since 2003.

Haddad said there is no final figure for the number of suspects detained under Operation Dawn, noting that arrests continue through daily security raids. He added that the operation is being conducted under strict secrecy because some suspects attempted to flee Iraq or seek refuge in the Kurdistan Region.

According to Haddad, the Kurdistan Regional authorities have cooperated with the investigation by handing over eight suspects to the federal authorities so far.