A Hint to Al-Kazemi's Office and "Badr": A British Investigation Reveals the Details of the "Theft o

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[size=52]A Hint to Al-Kazemi's Office and "Badr": A British Investigation Reveals the Details of the "Theft of the Century"[/size]

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The British newspaper “The Guardian” revealed that the “theft of the century” that was exposed in Iraq and included the looting of 2.5 billion dollars of state funds through tax revenues, would not have taken place without the information of several parties, including “the Prime Minister’s Office, the bank that authorized the withdrawals, the Integrity Commission and the Central Bank.” Badr Organization.[/size]
[size=45]The British newspaper said in a report that it had seen leaked documents and interviewed more than a "dozen" of officials, businessmen and bankers familiar with the details of the case of embezzlement of tax revenues that were "laundered" through the purchase of real estate in the richest neighborhood in Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]The British report indicated that the “theft of the century,” which affected $2.5 billion, was facilitated by some of the highest authorities in power, according to sources and a series of government letters issued in the summer of 2021, adding that the documents were signed by several government agencies, including the office of the Prime Minister at the time, Mustafa Al-Kazemi. , canceled the financial audit of withdrawals from the accounts of the Iraqi tax authority.[/size]
[size=45]The report considered that these messages did not receive attention at the time, as Iraq was living through two years of turmoil and heading towards early elections, and the work of parliament was postponed, while the media and the international community focused on the October 2021 elections. However, behind the scenes, the stage was Poised for tax embezzlement in what appeared to be the biggest corruption scandal in the era of the Western-backed Al-Kadhimi government, an astonishing case even for a country located at the bottom of the list of the “Transparency International” index.[/size]
[size=45]According to a 41-page internal investigation report seen by the Guardian, $2.5 billion in tax money was siphoned off by shell companies with no possibility of being traced on paper, with the help of corrupt officials, and then laundered through property purchases in most of the neighbourhoods. wealth in Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]The Guardian indicated that it had concluded that this scheme was prepared by a businessman with influential connections, and was implemented by employees of the Tax Committee enjoying the support of the Badr Organization, which is allied with Iran. According to leaked documents and interviews with a large number of officials, businessmen and bankers familiar with the case, it is not possible for a theft of this magnitude to occur without the knowledge of a wide range of parties, including the Prime Minister's Office, and the bank that authorized the cash withdrawals. , the Integrity Commission and the Central Bank.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted a former member of the Parliament’s Finance Committee, who asked not to be identified, as saying, “It is a large network and behind it stand senior politicians from powerful organizations that lead the country, and heads of departments cannot steal such sums on their own.”[/size]
[size=45]"There is an agreement and everyone gets a piece," he added. As for the former director of Al-Kazemi’s private office, Ahmed Najati, he said, “The claim that the Prime Minister’s office agreed to cancel the financial audit and facilitated theft is misleading,” adding that “removing the audit is not a justification for theft.”[/size]
[size=45]And after the report pointed out that the scandal was announced by the outgoing Al-Kazemi government last month, and that the seizure of the state’s capabilities is taking place through the consensual system in Iraq, he continued, saying that “it is said that the seizure of the state has deepened during the Al-Kazemi era, which was The West preferred him because he pledged to rein in the military factions of groups allied with Iran, such as Badr, but Al-Kazemi lacked a political base and became under pressure from parties and their military wings that tried to tighten their grip on lucrative government positions.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted an employee of the Tax Committee as saying, "The sharing of positions during Al-Kazemi's era was greatly strengthened... It was the only way through which he could remain in power." However, Al-Kazemi's office denied such allegations.[/size]
[size=45]The report, quoting several sources, stated that at least one of Al-Kazemi's aides had close relations with the businessman who is believed to have masterminded the embezzlement scheme, including the former director of Al-Kazemi's office, Raed Jouhi.[/size]
[size=45]The report continued that Diaa al-Musawi, the intelligence officer appointed by Al-Kazemi to lead the National Operations Center, is fleeing from the prosecution of the judiciary, which issued a warrant against him related to corruption charges not related to this case.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that, in a step that preceded the occurrence of the theft, the former head of the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives, Haitham al-Jubouri, made a recommendation to end the role of the Financial Audit Authority in examining withdrawals from the accounts of the Tax Authority, given that there were “many complaints” about the lengthy procedures. And the report continued that a month after this decision, Al-Jubouri was appointed as an advisor to Al-Kazemi.[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that these accounts included billions of dollars in tax deposits paid by foreign companies operating in Iraq, and they are recoverable upon submission of actual financial statements.[/size]
[size=45]He added that these procedures were cumbersome to the extent that most companies wrote them off, leaving unclaimed amounts to accumulate in these accounts.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted the former member of the Finance Committee as saying that the proposal to cancel the financial audit was supposed to constitute a red warning sign for the authority that pledged to fight corruption, but instead, the Audit Bureau and the Prime Minister’s Office issued two letters expressing their no objection to the cancellation proposal .[/size]
[size=45]"It was all part of the plan," he continued.[/size]
[size=45]While the report stated that the implementation of the theft depends on accomplices within the Tax Authority who have the authority to sign checks, it quoted four sources within the Ministry of Finance as saying that this network was established by its former director, Shaker Mahmoud.[/size]
[size=45]And the report continued, based on a document seen by the “Guardian”, based on the letter from the Prime Minister’s office and a phone call with the auditing committee, Shaker Mahmoud issued an order to cancel the auditing.[/size]
[size=45]Shortly thereafter, Shaker Mahmoud was transferred to the Customs Department, where many suspected that a similar scheme was being worked on.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted 7 sources as saying that Shaker Mahmoud and the executors of the embezzlement scheme were supported by the Badr Organization, which has control over high-level appointments in the Tax and Customs Commissions.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, there is a need for the Prime Minister to approve the directors, according to a decree for the year 2020.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that at a time when the Minister of Finance at the time, Ali Allawi, signed the papers for administrative appointments, sources in the Ministry of Finance said that he does not have much authority over employment, and that “two of his candidates refused to assume administrative positions after they received threats from the Badr Organization.” .[/size]
[size=45]One of the officials told the British newspaper, "Allawi could not remove anyone because Badr would not be accepted, and he did not get support from the Prime Minister's office."[/size]
[size=45]The head of Al-Kazemi's office denied any responsibility for the theft, saying that "this entire process took place within the Ministry of Finance, and it began in the Tax Committee and ended in Al-Rafidain Bank (owned by the government), both of which are subject to the Ministry of Finance."[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that, in July 2021, the Tax Committee began issuing checks for millions of dollars, the number of which reached at least 247 checks for five companies within 14 months, and these amounts were passed through one branch of Al-Rafidian Bank located in the Tax Committee, where they were Funds are deposited into corporate accounts, then withdrawn immediately.[/size]
[size=45]And while the report pointed out that this theft did not go unnoticed, he said that Allawi issued a decision in November 2021 prohibiting withdrawals without his consent, but that these operations continued behind his back. He added that the Anti-Money Laundering Unit of the Rafidain Bank sent several letters to the administration to report these financial transactions, but it seems that no action was taken by the Rafidain Bank or by the Central Bank, which is supposed to be the supervisor of the banking sector.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted a banking official as saying, "This large amount of money requested by a branch should have raised very serious questions."[/size]
[size=45]The report also quoted sources as saying that the employees of the Tax Commission, who spoke publicly, were punished and transferred. The report stated that Allawi resigned in frustration in August, speaking in his scathing resignation speech about "a huge octopus of corruption and deceit."[/size]
[size=45]The report added that when his successor ordered an investigation, the reaction in Parliament was sharp, which later led to his dismissal.[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded by saying that this case is a test for the new Sudanese government to pursue the influential people suspected of involvement in the embezzlement scheme, including members of the coalition that brought him to power.[/size]
[size=45]Despite the confiscation of 55 real estate and $250 million of other assets, the arrest and arrest of businessmen and tax officials, and the issuance of warrants against others and travel bans, the British newspaper quoted a judge in Baghdad as saying that there is “no evidence so far” that high-ranking officials They played a role.[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded by saying that few Iraqis believe that there will be real accountability for what happened. The former member of the Finance Committee was quoted as saying, "You will put the responsibility on two junior managers, and the others will run away."[/size]
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