Iraqi Court detains guarantors of key "Theft of the Century" suspects, sets new trial date

Shafaq News/ On Monday, an Iraqi court ordered the detention of six guarantors linked to the main suspects in the "Theft of the Century" case—Noor Zuhair and Haitham al-Jubouri—, while also scheduling a new trial date for the accused.

In a video statement from the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court, MP Mustafa Sanad said, "As usual, Noor Zuhair and Haitham al-Jubouri did not attend today's trial." He further noted that the six guarantors—three for Zuhair and three for al-Jubouri—were detained and transferred to the Karkh Court.

Sanad added that the next hearing has been set for November 21, 2024, explaining that "there are legal procedures that take about a month to be published in the official gazette before initiating the necessary steps to issue an Interpol red notice for their arrest."

The "Theft of the Century" refers to the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars, approximately $2.5 billion, from tax deposits. The theft was revealed shortly before the previous government, led by Mustafa al-Kadhimi, left office.

According to an official document from the Iraqi Tax Authority, the $2.5 billion was withdrawn between September 2021 and August 2022 from the state-owned Rafidain Bank through 247 checks made out to five companies, which then cashed the funds directly.

Following the disclosure, the Integrity Commission and the judiciary launched investigations, issuing several arrest warrants. Noor Zuhair, 44, also known as Abu Fatima, was one of the first arrested.

In 2023, the Iraqi judiciary lifted the freeze on one of Zuhair's companies. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani later announced that the primary suspect in the case had distributed stolen funds among influential individuals, including "politicians and media figures," suggesting an increase in the number of implicated parties.

At the time, PM Al-Sudani also revealed that Judge Diaa Jaafar had ordered Zuhair's release on bail, with the condition that he return the stolen funds within two weeks, noting that a significant portion of the money was tied up in real estate and properties owned by the accused.

In a recent television interview, Zuhair defended himself, calling for a public trial and threatening to reveal names and details related to corruption cases.

Speaking to Al Sharqiya TV's "Al-Muwajaha" program, Zuhair insisted, "The funds I possessed were backed by checks and transactions audited by the Integrity Commission; they are not state funds. Not a single dinar belongs to the state." He described the alleged theft of tax funds as a "fabrication" and claimed that a member of parliament, who is now speaking out against him, once requested a house in Baghdad's upscale Al-Mansour district with a plot size of 1,200 square meters, referring to Iraqi MP Mustafa Sanad.

Zuhair also claimed that the "Theft of the Century" was nothing more than the "Lie of the Century," vowing to take legal action against those accusing him of theft in international courts.