Iraq issues recruitment order for previous Finance Minister amid 'Theft of the Century' probe
Shafaq News/ The Federal Integrity Commission has issued a recruitment order against former Finance Minister Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi on Thursday, citing violations of his professional obligations.
In a statement released by the Investigations Department, it was revealed that the judge of the Second Karkh Investigation Court took action today to summon the former Finance Minister, following his non-compliance with the Commission's investigative committee. The committee emphasized that Allawi had affixed his signature to a document allocating a parcel of land measuring 98 dunums in al-Anbar governorate to another individual. This action stood in direct contravention of the stipulations outlined in an investment license that had been previously granted to an investor.
The court expounded, "The defendant manipulated the document and subsequently revoked the allocation, a move that resulted in the investor forfeiting the investment opportunity and being denied the authorization to establish a residential project on the aforementioned land, despite having secured the initial requisite approvals." The court clarified that the recruitment order had been executed in accordance with Article 331 of the Penal Code.
Notably, Allawi is also under investigation for his alleged involvement in a significant tax embezzlement scheme, infamously labeled the "theft of the century" by the media.
In early August, Judge Haidar Hanoun, the head of Iraq's Commission of Integrity, declared a red alert for the minister, who holds British citizenship and currently resides within the nation's borders.
The "Theft of the Century" case came to light in the previous October, implicating high-ranking officials alongside prominent businessmen. This revelation sparked profound public dissatisfaction in Iraq, a nation that had already been witnessing widespread protests over the past years, all unified in their demand to eradicate the deeply entrenched corruption.
The "Theft of the Century" has captured the attention of both the Iraqi populace and the political sphere, even garnering international exposure. Arab and Western media outlets have extensively covered the case.
At its core, the case revolves around the vanishing of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars (equivalent to approximately 2.5 billion USD) from tax revenues. This revelation emerged through multiple concerned entities, approximately two months prior to the conclusion of the prior administration led by Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
