Al-Azm names acting parliamentary bloc leader

Shafaq News- Diyala

Iraq’s Al-Azm Alliance appointed lawmaker Raad Hamid Kazem Al-Dahlaki as acting head of its parliamentary bloc following the six-year prison sentence handed to alliance leader Muthanna Al-Samarrai.

According to an official document obtained by Shafaq News, the alliance informed Parliament’s leadership and parliamentary bloc heads that Al-Dahlaki would oversee the bloc’s affairs until a new leader is elected.

Earlier on Thursday, an Iraqi court convicted Al-Samarrai of profiting from contracts with the state-owned North and South Refineries companies, the Federal Commission of Integrity (CoI) said.

Al-Samarrai was arrested on June 28, 2026, during the anti-corruption campaign known as the Dawn Crackdown, which targeted current and former lawmakers and officials. His case is linked to former Oil Ministry undersecretary Adnan Al-Jumaili, whose testimony reportedly led to several arrests over allegations of exploiting government contracts and state resources for commissions and personal gain.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings