The Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court has scheduled next Wednesday as the date for the trial of "Noor Zuhair," the primary suspect in the tax embezzlement case known as "The Theft of the Century." The President of the Court, Judge Khaled Saddam, has sent an official letter signed by him to the Integrity Commission/Investigations Department, specifying the aforementioned date for the trial of the accused "Noor Zuhair Jassim" according to the provisions of Article (331 of the Penal Code).
The judge requested the commission to notify the accused on the designated trial day and to send the notification to the court before the trial date. In 2023, the Iraqi judiciary decided to lift the seizure order on a company affiliated with the suspect in "The Theft of the Century," Noor Zuhair.
"The Theft of the Century" involves the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars (approximately 2.5 billion dollars) from tax funds, which was revealed by several concerned parties about two months before the end of the previous government led by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. Following the revelation of the theft, the Integrity Commission and the judiciary took action to investigate the case, leading to multiple judicial arrest warrants, with businessman Noor Zuhair being the first detainee. He was imprisoned, along with others, and judicial decisions have been made to confiscate the movable and immovable assets of those involved in the theft, as well as their families.
The case file remains open at the Iraqi judiciary to trace all its links and to explore avenues for recovering the funds that were smuggled outside Iraq, according to statements made by several lawmakers and politicians. Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani announced at the beginning of last year that the main accused in "The Theft of the Century," Noor Zuhair, had distributed his funds to influential figures, including "politicians and media figures," hinting at an increase in the amount involved in "The Theft of the Century."
