The absence of Nour Zuhair complicates the decoding of the theft of the century.. Who is behind thos

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[size=52]The absence of Nour Zuhair complicates the decoding of the theft of the century.. Who is behind those involved and what is the fate of the guarantors?[/size]

[size=45]Days before his trial, Nour Zuhair, the first defendant in the case of stealing Iraqi tax deposits in what is known as the “theft of the century,” claimed that he was “wronged,” and threatened in a television interview to reveal the names of those involved with him in the case, if the trial was public.[/size]
[size=45]While all eyes were on the date of his appearance before the judiciary on the 28th of this August, pictures of Zuhair from the Lebanese capital Beirut spread in the media, in which he appeared carried on a stretcher, and part of his clothes were stained with red spots, which were said to be blood he had shed “as a result of an accident.”[/size]
[size=45]Iraqi MPs quickly cast doubt on the alleged “accident,” and many questions were raised about how Zuhair, the most prominent defendant in the country’s biggest corruption case since 2003, got out of Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]It is not yet known where Zuhair currently resides. Since he did not appear before the court on the day of his trial (August 27) after leaving the country under mysterious circumstances, the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him, and applied the same procedure to another defendant in the case, Haitham al-Jubouri, the former MP and advisor in the government of former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.[/size]
[size=45]The court set September 9 as the deadline to arrest Zuhair and bring him to Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Iraqi media reported on Wednesday that the head of the Integrity Commission, Judge Haider Hanoun, said that a red notice will be issued against Zuhair at Interpol, and he also revealed steps and procedures to seize his funds in Iraq and Arab countries.[/size]
[size=45]“Theft of the Century” in Iraq.. Who is the main suspect?[/size]
[size=45]This is related to the threats he made in the television interview, and to the parties and entities that “support him,” which are still far from the spotlight.[/size]
[size=45]He went in and then got out on bail.[/size]
[size=45]The “theft of the century” is the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars, equivalent to about two and a half billion dollars, from tax trust funds. Several parties had revealed the theft about two months before the end of the term of the previous Iraqi government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.[/size]
[size=45]An official letter issued by the Tax Authority revealed that an amount of $2.5 billion was withdrawn between September 2021 and August 2022 from the government-owned Rafidain Bank, through 247 financial checks, issued to 5 companies, which disbursed them directly in cash.[/size]
[size=45]Following the discovery of the theft, the Integrity Commission and the judiciary moved to investigate the case, and several judicial arrest warrants were issued. The first to be arrested was Zuhair, whose full name is “Nour Zuhair Jassim Al-Muzaffar”, and whose nickname is “Abu Fatima”. He was born in Baghdad in 1980.[/size]
[size=45]After that, he was imprisoned along with others, in addition to judicial decisions to confiscate the movable and immovable assets of those involved in the theft as well as their families, according to Shafaq News Agency.[/size]
[size=45]At the time, Al-Sudani also announced that the competent judge had issued an order to release Nour Zuhair “on bail,” in exchange for his pledge to hand over the entire stolen amount within two weeks, noting that the largest part of the amount held by the accused was in the form of real estate and property.[/size]
[size=45]How did Zuhair leave Iraq?[/size]
[size=45]The amount that Zuhair returned to the state treasury after his release from prison on bail represents 12 percent of the total funds, which exceed $2.5 billion, according to previous statements by Iraqi parliament member Majid Shankali.[/size]
[size=45]After the news spread about Zuhair’s departure from Iraq, Shankali said that the latter “will not be able to return the remaining amounts, estimated at 80 percent, because they have reached many partners,” as he put it.[/size]
[size=45]Before Shinkali, the head of the Integrity Commission in Iraq, Judge Haider Hanoun, explained that the legal text with which Zuhair was accused was 11/444, not 331 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and that “this crime is a felony and not a misdemeanor because the last article concerns employees.”[/size]
[size=45]Hanoun added on August 14: “We hope to reach a severe and deterrent sentence in this crime,” referring to “the defendant’s undisciplined behavior after he obtained bail, by moving around and interfering in other matters, as if he was saying, ‘I am stronger than any punishment or apparatus.’”[/size]
[size=45]Indeed, Zuhair and “those behind him” were stronger than the punishment, as confirmed by his appearance on the local media and then his departure from the country. This is also indicated by legal experts who spoke to Alhurra.[/size]
[size=45]Former Iraqi MP and judge, Wael Abdul Latif, explained to Alhurra that the legal text 11/444 allowed Zuhair to leave Iraq, as he had been granted “bail” and had guarantors who had paid huge sums of money.[/size]
[size=45]It is believed that the first accused in the “theft of the century” may have provided information about his partners in exchange for obtaining “bail,” but the process was not completed, due to the presence of “a meal of big heads,” according to Abdel Latif.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, in the same context, the Iraqi legal expert, Amir Al-Dumaidi, says that Zuhair’s obtaining “bail” and his release from prison may be linked to a special vision of the court.[/size]
[size=45]This may be aimed at recovering money from the accused, especially since the latter owns many properties inside and outside the country, and “it may require signatures and personal attendance from him,” according to Al-Dumay.[/size]
[size=45]The legal expert added that the arrest warrant for Zuhair was expected again, due to his failure to attend the trial session, and he also expects that his red notice will be circulated to Interpol.[/size]
[size=45]The official agency quoted the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as revealing new details regarding the case of the theft of tax deposits, which has become known in the media as the “theft of the century.”[/size]
[size=45]The judiciary did not reveal the names of the guarantors who sponsored Zuhair two years ago.[/size]
[size=45]Judge Abdul Latif points out that, based on the available data and the departure of the first accused in the “theft of the century” from Iraq, the guarantors are supposed to appear before the judiciary, in order to pay the money they had previously deposited to bail Zuhair.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the Director of the Media Office of the Integrity Commission in Iraq, Ali Muhammad, said that the issue of guarantors and the “bailout” associated with Zuhair is related to the judiciary and the court.[/size]
[size=45]Mohammed explained that, according to the statements of the investigating judge, “there are former officials involved in the theft of the century, in addition to Zuhair.”[/size]
[size=45]When asked about the possibility of current officials being involved, Mohammed confirmed that the matter was “related to former officials,” according to official statements.[/size]
[size=45]He added that the total stolen amount is 3 trillion and 891 billion Iraqi dinars, and considered that “the work of the court and the judiciary is the tent and cover under which the upcoming procedures will be issued.”[/size]
[size=45]Who is behind Nour Zuhair?[/size]
[size=45]Earlier, the Iraqi-Sudanese Prime Minister described the accused Zuhair as the “black box” of the theft of the century. In contrast, the latter revealed in his last interview with Al-Sharqiya channel that there were 5 people involved with him in stealing the tax deposits.[/size]
[size=45]There is a strong belief among Iraqi MPs that the theft case that Za’ir is leading the media is hiding behind it many names of politicians and prominent figures who are involved.[/size]
[size=45]This is also confirmed by the statements of the first accused himself and the recent official clarifications issued by the Integrity Commission and the Iraqi government.[/size]
[size=45]Abdul Wahid confirms that “there are parties supporting Zuhair,” and “otherwise, how could he act in this way and threaten others a few weeks ago!”[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi judiciary must now complete all procedures and investigations.[/size]
[size=45]He must also move to arrest all those involved in the “theft of the century,” according to Abdel Wahid, noting that “Zuhair had mentioned several names,” and that “they must be arrested and tried.”[/size]
[size=45]Abdul Wahid believes that “Zuhair’s fate will be like that of the rest of the thieves who fled outside Iraq and are now enjoying the money they stole.”[/size]
[size=45]She believes that "some political parties support Zuhair and are partners with him. The accused said that he has 1.3 trillion Iraqi dinars in his possession, and the rest of the money is certainly with his partners."[/size]
[size=45]“It is unreasonable to bail Zuhair and let him go free, and then he flees Iraq,” said Aref Al-Hamami, a member of the Iraqi Parliamentary Legal Committee.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hamami says that the perception of the existence of parties behind the first accused in the “theft of the century” is very clear based on his actions and the course of the operation that took place.[/size]
[size=45]“There are parties pushing to cover up the crime by smuggling Nour Zuhair and forcing him to flee and not return to the country so that the names are not revealed,” the member of the parliamentary legal committee continued.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hamami talks about “power centers in state institutions and parties involved behind the accused Nour Zuhair, who are from the previous and current government.”[/size]
[size=45]While the Iraqi legal expert believes that “the Iraqi state apparatus will take action” after the arrest warrant is issued for the second time, he believes that Zuhair “will not return, be arrested, or be found at all,” as he put it.[/size]
[size=45]“Part of a cluster gang”[/size]
[size=45]Corruption is eating away at all state institutions and public administrations in Iraq, and despite the issuance of judicial convictions, they rarely target senior officials, according to agencies including “Agence France-Presse.”[/size]
[size=45]Iraqi political researcher Jassim Al-Shammari does not believe that Nour Zuhair is merely a “front,” but rather that he is “part of a cluster gang,” as he described it.[/size]
[size=45]“Perhaps the most visible part of this gang is now the exchange company owned by the first accused of the theft of the century in Baghdad,” Al-Shammari says.[/size]
[size=45]The researcher believes that there is a series of important and influential figures in the political sectors in Iraq who are involved in the “theft of the century.”[/size]
[size=45]Accordingly, he expects two possibilities: the first is that “Zuhair will be eliminated after he threatened to reveal the names of the major figures involved with him in the case.”[/size]
[size=45]The second possibility is that “the case will be ignored” and that “Zuhair will not be pursued by Interpol.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Shammari continues: “The case will not go beyond these two axes. Nour Zuhair knows that he cannot be tried easily because of this spider web, of which he is a part.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the Iraqi academic and political analyst, Haitham Al-Hiti, explains that “corruption in Iraq is a system, which is what the United Nations representative in Iraq stated two years ago.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hiti says: “Corruption in the country is an organizational triangle consisting of three dimensions: political, economic and media.”[/size]
[size=45]Given the stolen sums associated with Zuhair’s name and his “freedom of movement and ease of obtaining money,” it can be said, according to the Iraqi academic, that he is in charge of “the money coordinator for politicians.”[/size]
[size=45]His freedom of movement also paints a picture of the “protection he enjoys,” in addition to “his release from prison on bail despite the stolen sums associated with it, which represent the budgets of countries,” according to Al-Hiti.[/size]
[size=45]The researcher believes that the “theft of the century” scandal may be linked to “the political-political conflict and the conflict of elites, and can be viewed as a prelude to the upcoming elections.”[/size]
[size=45]"A password supported by heads"[/size]
[size=45]In March 2023, the Iraqi judiciary issued arrest warrants against four senior officials in the previous Iraqi government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, most notably the former Minister of Finance, Ali Abdul Amir Allawi.[/size]
[size=45]At the time, former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi defended his record in fighting corruption, and pointed out that it was his government that uncovered this “theft of the century” case, opened an investigation into it, and took legal action.[/size]
[size=45]Although the case was revealed in October 2022 and came to light in the final days of Al-Kadhimi’s government, legal experts in Iraq confirm that the figures involved are not limited to that period only.[/size]
[size=45]Former judge Wael Abdel Latif explains that “the number of those who contributed and participated in the theft of the century is large, and extends to senior officials.”[/size]
[size=45]But perhaps “for media purposes” and because their names and pictures were not shown, they were able to “focus only on Nour Zuhair, because he does not belong to a party or any political entity in public,” according to Abdul Latif.[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The crime involves many businessmen, ministers, and many leading politicians," and "if all the names are revealed, the political process will collapse."[/size]
[size=45]It is believed that “Zuhair will be the hallmark of the case in the courtroom” if he is arrested again.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the Iraqi legal expert, Amir Al-Dumaimi, believes that “Zuhair is a small sample of a corrupt group that continues to plunder and steal Iraq’s wealth.”[/size]
[size=45]He says: “Corruption did not start with Zuhair and will not end with him. It has become a chain,” considering on the other hand that the latter “may be a victim in a corrupt society. There are many more corrupt people than Nour Zuhair whose names have not been revealed by the state, because they are hidden by strong influence.”[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, the Iraqi academic, Haitham Al-Hiti, believes that “the end of the theft of the century case will be at the end of the internal conflict in Iraq, which is taking place between the elites who control the political reality.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hiti says: “It is impossible to sentence or imprison Zuhair, because he is linked to clear political agendas.”[/size]
[size=45]While covering the case file in its entirety would be extremely difficult, the academic expects that “there will be formal settlements to delay the matter and end it in a certain way.”[/size]
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