Former Iraqi PM's advisor sentenced to prison for refusal to financial disclosure
Shafaq New/ On Saturday, the Federal Integrity Commission announced that Mushreq Abbas Naji, the political advisor to the former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, has been sentenced to one year in prison for refusing to disclose his financial status.
The Karkh Court in absentia, issued the ruling under Article 19/First of the Integrity and Illegal Gain Commission Law.
This development comes amid broader legal actions related to corruption and financial misconduct in Iraq.
The Iraqi Public Prosecutor's Office has issued four arrest warrants to INTERPOL for high-ranking officials from the previous federal government. Among those targeted are the former Chief of National Intelligence Raad Jouhi Hameed Al-Saadi, former Director of the Prime Minister's Office Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, advisor Mushreq Abbas Hassan Hussein Al-Janabi, and former Minister of Finance Abdul Amir Hassan Ali Taha.
These warrants are linked to allegations surrounding the "Theft of the century," a significant tax deposit theft case.
Judge Haider Hanoun, the chairman of the Iraqi Integrity Commission, has called on several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the UAE, and Turkiye, to deport individuals involved in corruption cases, stressing the importance of international cooperation in combating corruption and recovering stolen assets.
The "Theft of the Century" case, which emerged in October last year, has sparked widespread outrage in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammed Shia Al-Sudani has pledged to hold accountable those involved in the case, in which tax guarantees were stolen amounting to 3.7 trillion dinars (about $2.83 billion).
In a statement to arab media outlets, Al-Sudani emphasized that corruption is the main challenge facing the Iraqi state today, with much of it protected by political or official facades, adding that the "theft of the century" has protection and an official government cover.
The judiciary cited a network of senior officials in the previous government that contributed to the coverage and provided facilities to a network of thieves that seized this money.
Al-Sudani stated that he was transparent and frank from the first day of public opinion and with the Judicial Council, adding that anyone involved in the case would be issued an arrest warrant, regardless of location or capacity.
In response to a question about whether he expected any action against prominent names, Al-Sudani replied, "Yes...against major names in this great theft...and they must be held accountable because there are no red lines," noting that "some of those involved in the deal of the century is participating with the current political process, they will soon be overthrown."
During the interview, Al-Sudani refused to accuse all of the political class of corruption, saying there was an intentional mix-up to cause everyone to despair and leave the arena for a specific class.
