ERBIL — An arrest warrant has been issued for the acting head of the Iraqi Corruption Commission, Judge Haider Hanoon, after investigations revealed that a leaked recording of Hanoon taking bribes matches his voice, according to an informed source who spoke to local Iraqi media on Tuesday.
Iraqi media reports that following a report from the Judicial Investigation Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, which confirmed a 100% match between Hanoon's voice and that on the recording of him accepting bribes, an arrest warrant has been issued.
On Monday, October 7, the Iraqi judiciary formally issued the arrest warrant for Hanoon.
According to a judicial source, the Third Investigation Court of Karkh in Baghdad issued the warrant due to Hanoon's failure to appear in court for the charges against him.
"The court has sent notices to Hanoon multiple times to appear, but he has not complied," the source added.
In mid-September, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council announced that it had taken legal action against Judge Haider Hanoon, following his remarks at a news conference in Erbil last month.
Hanoon criticized Judge Zia Jaafar for revealing the details of the Iraqi "thief of the century" during a press conference held in Erbil. He also expressed his anger at accusations leveled against the council regarding the disappearance of classified documents related to one of the main culprits, known as "Nur Zuhair."