Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shiya al-Sudani revealed new details concerning the case of the embezzled tax funds, popularly known as the "Heist of the Century." A statement issued by the Prime Minister's media office indicated that during his visit to the Federal Commission of Integrity on Saturday, al-Sudani highlighted the "essential role of the Commission in implementing the government program, particularly regarding the priority of combating corruption."
He added that "the issue of the embezzlement of tax funds represents a black mark in the history of the state, due to the nature and volume of the stolen funds and the official cover-up, in collusion with state employees." The statement mentioned that "half of this money has been smuggled out of the country," confirming ongoing efforts to recover it.
Al-Sudani emphasized, according to the statement, that "the work of the Commission is clearly different from the previous phase," asserting the need to continue with the same professional approach, especially given public concern over selectivity in combating corruption and the political nature of opening cases.
The Federal Commission of Integrity in Iraq announced on Sunday that it had managed to recover more than two billion dinars (1.5 million dollars) to the state treasury in corruption cases related to former officials. Al-Sudani stressed the "necessity of prompt action to address any shortcomings demonstrated by integrity employees, and a refusal to allow any employee to exploit their position, particularly if they are tasked with oversight and protecting integrity," clarifying that he "communicates daily with the Commission and its president for follow-up and guidance."
Earlier, Head of the Commission, Haidar Hanoon, mentioned in a press conference that "Iraq has issued red notices against former Finance Minister Ali Allawi, former intelligence chief Raed Juhai, the special secretary to the previous Prime Minister Ahmad Najati, and former Prime Minister's adviser Musharraf Abbas, considering them wanted in the Heist of the Century case."
Hanoon pointed out that efforts are ongoing to retrieve the wanted individuals from Jordan and Turkey, along with recovering one of the wanted persons from Saudi Arabia within the next two months.
The "Heist of the Century" concerns the tax funds, as 2.5 billion dollars were disbursed between September 2021 and August 2022, through 247 checks issued by five companies, which then withdrew the cash from these companies' accounts whose owners are subject to arrest orders. Hanoon stated that "the Commission has many corruption files, some of which are confidential and cannot be disclosed" for fear of the suspects fleeing and losing the funds.
The case, revealed in mid-October, has provoked significant outrage in oil-rich Iraq, which is plagued by corruption. Despite the pervasive corruption in all state institutions in Iraq, prosecutions in these cases are rare, and when they occur, they typically target lower-ranking officials.
