Iraqis sentenced to prison in $2.5-bn corruption case

Iraqis sentenced to prison in $2.5-bn corruption case
by AFP Staff Writers
Baghdad (AFP) Nov 25, 2024

An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced to prison former senior officials, a businessman and others for involvement in the theft of $2.5 billion in public funds -- one of Iraq's biggest corruption cases.

The three most high-profile individuals sentenced -- businessman Nour Zuhair, as well as former prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi's cabinet director Raed Jouhi and a former adviser, Haitham al-Juburi -- are on the run and were tried in absentia.

The scandal, dubbed the "heist of the century", has sparked widespread anger in Iraq, which is ravaged by rampant corruption, unemployment and decaying infrastructure after decades of conflict.

A criminal court in Baghdad specialising in corruption cases issued the prison sentences ranging from three to 10 years, a statement from Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said.

Thirteen people received sentences on Monday, according to member of Parliament Mostafa Sanad.

Most of them, 10, are from Iraq's tax authority and include its former director and deputy, he added on his Telegram channel.

Iraq revealed two years ago that at least $2.5 billion was stolen between September 2021 and August 2022 through 247 cheques that were cashed by five companies.

The money was then withdrawn in cash from the accounts of those firms.

A judicial source told AFP that some tax officials charged were in detention, without detailing how many.

Businessman Zuhair was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to the judiciary statement.

He was arrested at Baghdad airport in October 2022 as he was trying to leave the country, but released on bail a month later after giving back more than $125 million and pledging to return the rest in instalments.

The wealthy businessman was back in the news in August after he reportedly had a car crash in Lebanon, following an interview he gave to an Iraqi news channel.

Juburi, the former prime ministerial adviser, received a three-year prison sentence. He also returned $2.6 million before disappearing, a judicial source told AFP.

Kadhemi's cabinet director Raed Jouhi, also currently outside Iraq, was sentenced to six years in prison -- alongside "a number of officials involved in the crime," according to the judiciary's statement.

Corruption is rampant across Iraq's public institutions, but convictions typically target mid-level officials or minor players and rarely those at the top of the power hierarchy.