WE FEAR THE “DESTRUCTION OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS” BY REVEALING THE NAMES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE THEFT OF THE CENTURY
(What does this heading say? It says to me that there are many political figures involved stealing from Iraq.)
MP for the Al-Sadiqoun parliamentary bloc, Ali Turki Al-Jamali, said Friday, August 2, 2024, that there is fear of “ruining” the political process by revealing the names of those involved in the theft of tax deposits known as the “theft of the century.”
Al-Jamali confirmed, in a televised statement, “There is a fear of ruining the political process by revealing the names of those involved in the ‘theft of the century’ before announcing the results of the investigation.”
He pointed out that “the investigations revealed that the theft of the century amounted to 3.5 billion dollars, and was carried out over 8 months, at a time when this money was supposed to be added to the budget.”
He explained that “the dispute over shares is what caused the theft of the century to be revealed, not any competent authority,” noting that “this file will not be closed and the real figures of the theft will not be revealed,” according to him.
Al-Jamali pointed out that “Nour Zuhair (the main accused in the case) was a front for the theft of the century and may have disclosed the names of those participating in the theft during the investigation,” indicating that “the theft of the century took place through forged authorizations for Nour Zuhair and other people affiliated with him.”
He added, “Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s government was a system for stealing public money,” explaining that “the director of the General Tax Authority was appointed by order of Al-Kadhimi and not by the Minister of Finance,” according to his words.
Al-Jamali confirmed that “big heads were behind the planning and implementation of the theft of the century,” indicating that “the mastermind behind the theft of the century is (Haitham Al-Jubouri), who was working as an advisor to Al-Kazemi,” he said.
Thursday, the Integrity Commission revealed new details about the theft of tax deposits known as the “theft of the century,” as it announced “the recovery of Qasim Muhammad Muhammad from the Kurdistan Region, who is the managing director of the (Hunchback Whale) Company, after he had fled to Turkey. He is one of the most prominent defendants in the tax deposit theft case.”
Regarding the final amount of the theft of tax deposits, the head of the Integrity Commission, Haider Hanoun, explained in a press conference held yesterday that “if we add up these amounts, it becomes more than the announced amount because the investigating judge who formed the committee reached a specific amount, but it is not accurate.”
It is noteworthy that in October 2022, the “theft of the century” case was revealed for the first time, in which former senior officials and businessmen were involved, and it sparked severe anger in Iraq, which witnessed widespread protests in recent years demanding an end to corruption.
The “theft of the century” is the disappearance of 3.7 trillion dinars (about two and a half billion dollars) from tax trust funds, and it was revealed by several concerned parties about two months before the end of the term of the previous government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
In mid-July, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani considered the “theft of the century” a black spot in the history of the Iraqi state, and indicated that it was carried out with official cover, and revealed that half of its money was smuggled out of the country.
