Arrests: The Iraqi interior ministry announced on Monday the arrest of an official involved in the 2.5 billion US Dollar embezzlement at the Baghdad International Airport while attempting to board a private jet to leave corruption-ridden Iraq. See the moment of the official's arrest at Baghdad International Airport.


Fraud Of the Century: The discharged minister's internal investigation body concluded that 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars, about $2.5bn USD, were lavishly paid to five firms. The funds were allegedly stolen from the Tax Authority's account at the state-run Rafidain Bank. The money was paid through 247 cheques between September 9, 2021, and August 11, 2022, from the commission's account at Rafidain Bank. Many of those involved in the scheme are yet to be discovered.


Trading companies and people dealing with the government must deposit a specific amount of cash, from which taxes will be deducted later.


Not much is known about the arrested official, whose given name is Nour Zurhair Jasim, besides the fact that he holds Iraqi citizenship and was not a household name until his arrest.

 

Nour Zuhari Jasim in a cell in Baghdad after his arrest

 


A 21-year-old Involved: According to a leaked Ministry of Interior document directed to the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) that warrants the arrest of three people, a 21-year-old Hussein Brifkani. The paper also names Nour Zuhair Jasim. Brifkani is an Erbil resident, according to local media.


The UN Special Representative for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, has called on authorities to recover $2.5 billion embezzled from the General Commission of Taxes in the latest corruption scandal to rock the country.


Prime minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sundani promised to stop laundering money of Iraqi people; he works to build his cabinet.

 

Who Revealed It? Oil Minister and former acting finance minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar brought the matter to public attention on October 16 and ordered an investigation into it, although he lost the House of Representatives' confidence and was removed from the chief of the finance ministry on October 11.


Reactions: The Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement that a Baghdad court had been investigating the case since August and called the involved an "organized network linked to influential figures."

Although Iraq ranks better compared to previous years, it still ranks at the top of the world's most corrupt countries, per Transparency International's corruption perceptions index.


Corruption Ranking: The scale of the corruption reveals Iraq's rampant and dangerous corruption that is a threat to its record low public approval and its stability and security.