Iraq is classified among the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking 157th out of 180 nations in corruption perception indices, confirming that the country is suffering from an escalating issue.
In the latest public funds theft case, the Federal Integrity Commission announced the execution of an arrest warrant issued against the director of the International Development Bank - Maysan branch, on charges of embezzling billions of dinars from the bank. The Office of Media and Government Communication stated that "the cooperation and coordination between the commission and the intelligence agency led to the arrest of the director of the International Development Bank - Maysan branch in the capital Baghdad, and the execution of the arrest warrant, based on Article 315 of the Penal Code." It was further noted that "the director of the Maysan branch of the International Development Bank embezzled an amount of (6,771,010,000) six billion Iraqi dinars in collusion with a vault employee, as well as conspiring with the deputy director of the bank branch and two employees working as cashiers in the branch, who together withdrew (3,385,000,000) three billion Iraqi dinars from the vault and handed it over to unknown individuals."
The commission had previously announced that its members in Maysan managed to execute the arrest warrant issued against the deputy manager of the branch and two employees for embezzling over three and a quarter billion dinars.
Diyala Governor Reveals "The Theft of the Century" with Numbers
Diyala Governor Karim Ali Agha revealed, with numbers, the details of "the theft of the century" in the province and has identified "the criminals," confirming that the officially stolen amounts exceed 7 billion dinars. He stated in a press conference that "the stolen amounts from the embezzlement operation in the province officially reached 7 billion and 394 million," asserting that "anything claimed contrary to these figures is incorrect."
He clarified that "the individuals involved in the theft were employees in the accounting department, and the operation of withdrawing the amounts began in 2019, with their arrest taking place weeks ago," indicating that "arrest warrants have been issued for all involved."
Agha added: "We opened an investigation and were able to reach the real criminals, and two of the five involved have been arrested," highlighting that "the number of involved parties may increase, and the stolen amounts might rise as investigations progress." He confirmed that "the corruption occurred among employees who were authorized to carry out disbursement operations, as they stole amounts through checks without adhering to legal procedures."
He further explained that "the involved employees were in accounting, and the process of withdrawing amounts began in 2019 until they were apprehended weeks ago," noting that "arrest warrants have been issued against all involved." Agha continued: "We initiated an investigation and reached the actual criminals, leading to the arrest of two out of five involved," mentioning that "the number of criminals may increase, and the amounts could rise with ongoing investigations." He indicated that "the incident occurred among employees who were authorized for disbursement and they stole the amounts through checks without following legal channels."
