Main defendant in Iraqi “theft of the century” promises to reveal names in public trial

Shafaq News/Nour Zuhair, the main suspect in Iraq's infamous “theft of the century,” in which 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars ($2.5 billion) were stolen from tax deposits, claimed that the funds in question did not belong to the state and vowed to expose those involved in a public trial.

In an interview with Al Sharqiya TV's “Al-Muwajaha” program, Zuhair stressed: “The funds I had were covered by checks and transactions that were audited by the Integrity Commission. These are not state funds. Not a single dinar belongs to the state.”

Zuhair further described the alleged theft of taxpayers' money as “fake”, adding that a member of parliament who is now speaking out against him once requested a house with a 1,200 square meter plot in Baghdad's upscale Al-Mansour district.

He stressed that in the event of an indictment, especially in public court, he would disclose all the names involved in the case.

According to Iraqi MP Mustafa Sanad, the Central Anti-Corruption Court had originally scheduled Zuhair's trial for Wednesday, August 14, but it was postponed until the end of August.

The “theft of the century” refers to the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars from tax deposits, discovered just two months before the end of former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's term in office. An official document from the Iraqi Tax Authority revealed that $2.5 billion was withdrawn from the state-owned Al-Rafidain Bank between September 2021 and August 2022, through 247 financial checks issued to five companies, which then cashed them directly.

After the theft was uncovered, the Integrity Commission and the judiciary launched investigations that resulted in several arrest warrants. Nour Zuhair, a prominent Iraqi businessman and managing director of Al-Mubdeoon Oil Services Company, was the first to be arrested.

Nour Zuhair Jassem Al-Muthaffar, also known as “Abu Fatima,” was born in Baghdad in 1980 and previously worked in Iraqi ports before becoming an adviser in the office of the former chairman of the parliamentary finance committee. Zuhair reportedly owns over 20 luxury properties in Baghdad, as well as significant financial assets and businesses.

He was arrested on October 24, 2022, while attempting to leave the country on a private jet from Baghdad International Airport.