Key defendant in Iraq's "Theft of the Century" vows to expose names in public trial

Shafaq News/ Nour Zuhair, the main suspect in Iraq's infamous "Theft of the Century," involving the theft of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars ($2.5 billion) from tax deposits, claimed that the funds in question did not belong to the state and promised to expose those involved in a public trial.

In an interview with Al Sharqiya TV's "Al-Muwajaha" program, Zuhair insisted, "The funds I possessed were backed by checks and transactions audited by the Integrity Commission; they are not state funds. Not a single dinar belongs to the state."

Zuhair went on to describe the alleged theft of tax funds as a "fabrication," adding that a member of parliament, who is now speaking out against him, once requested a house in Baghdad's upscale Al-Mansour district with a plot size of 1,200 square meters.

He emphasized that if he is put on trial, particularly in an open court, he will reveal all the names involved in the case.

According to Iraqi MP Mustafa Sanad, the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court had initially scheduled Zuhair's trial for Wednesday, August 14, but it has been postponed until the end of August.

The "Theft of the Century" refers to the disappearance of 3.7 trillion Iraqi dinars from tax deposits, discovered just two months before the end of former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's administration. An official document from the Iraqi Tax Authority revealed that $2.5 billion was withdrawn from the state-owned Al-Rafidain Bank between September 2021 and August 2022 via 247 financial checks issued to five companies, which then cashed them out directly.

Following the exposure of the theft, the Integrity Commission and the judiciary launched investigations, leading to multiple arrest warrants. Nour Zuhair, a prominent Iraqi businessman and managing director of Al-Mubdeoon Oil Services Company, was the first to be detained.

Nour Zuhair Jassem Al-Muthaffar, also known as "Abu Fatima," was born in Baghdad in 1980 and previously worked in Iraqi ports before serving as an advisor in the office of the former chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee. Reports indicate that Zuhair owns over 20 luxury properties in Baghdad and significant financial assets and businesses.

He was arrested on October 24, 2022, while attempting to flee the country via a private jet from Baghdad International Airport.