Shafaq News/ The former Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, issued a statement, on Thursday, rejecting allegations made by a member of parliament linking him to the "Theft of the Century."

In a statement, al-Kadhimi media office clarified that "these accusations, propagated by the MP and backed by well-known political factions, have no basis in truth and are part of an ongoing campaign aimed at tarnishing al-Kadhimi’s image and undermining his tenure as prime minister."

"All claims made in this context are transparently motivated and repeatedly proven false by facts and evidence," It added.

The statement also noted that al-Kadhimi's government made significant efforts to uncover the truth about this case, despite immense pressure to obscure or distort the facts.

The media office emphasized that "the judiciary holds the exclusive authority to make accusations, free from platforms of blackmail, fabrication, and defamation—practices that unfortunately have become the norm for many individuals entrenched in the current political landscape, which was once of a higher standard than these mercenaries."

This statement follows rulings by the Iraqi judiciary regarding the tax deposit embezzlement case, commonly known as the "Theft of the Century." Sentences included 10 years in prison for the primary defendant, Noor Zuhair, 6 years for Raed Jouhi (former director of al-Kadhimi's office, currently residing abroad), and additional prison terms for convicted government employees. Former MP Haitham al-Jubouri was also sentenced to 3 years in prison.

The "Theft of the Century" involves the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars (approximately $2.5 billion) from tax deposit funds, uncovered by relevant authorities about two months before the end of al-Kadhimi's mandate.

In 2023, an official report from the Tax Authority revealed that $2.5 billion was withdrawn between September 2021 and August 2022 from the state-owned al-Rafidain Bank through 247 financial checks issued to five companies, which cashed the amounts directly.

Following the disclosure of the theft, the Integrity Commission and the judiciary launched investigations, resulting in judicial arrest warrants, including the detention of Zuhair, who was released on bail but later fled the country. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities working to recover the stolen funds and uncover the full extent of the case.

This remains an open file within the Iraqi judiciary, with efforts to recover the embezzled money still ongoing.