Iraqi court reportedly issues second arrest warrant for suspect in $2.5 billion embezzlement case

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Anti-Corruption Criminal Court reportedly issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for Nur Zuheir, the main suspect in the $2.5 billion tax deposit embezzlement case, widely known as the “Theft of the Century.” The warrant, issued by Judge Khalid Saddam, included a 9:00 a.m. deadline for Zuheir’s guarantors to present him to the court, according to a social media post by MP Mustafa Sanad outside the courthouse in Baghdad.

This is the second arrest warrant issued for Zuheir, giving his guarantors a two-week deadline to surrender him to authorities. Alongside Zuheir, the court also issued an arrest warrant for Haitham Al-Jubouri, the former head of Iraq’s Parliament Finance Committee and an advisor to the former Prime Minister.

A trial session for Zuheir was scheduled for Tuesday but was expected to be postponed due to his absence from Iraq. On August 24, Lebanese media reported that Zuheir had been hospitalized following a car accident in Beirut, suffering multiple injuries, including severe trauma to his chest, neck, spine, head, and legs. The news was later removed without explanation, fueling speculation that the accident may have been orchestrated.

Before the alleged incident, Zuheir appeared in an August 19 televised interview on Sharqiya TV, where he stated his intention to “attend the trial session in Baghdad on August 27,” and threatened to “expose names and details related to other corruption cases.” He reiterated his innocence and vowed legal action against those accusing him of theft, saying, “I will not rest until justice is served.”

The circulation of images showing Zuheir injured in Beirut raised questions among politicians and activists about his ability to move freely between capitals despite being the primary suspect in the “Theft of the Century” case. Hoshyar Zebari, a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, speculated on X (formerly Twitter) about whether the car accident was a coincidence or a deliberate operation to silence Zuheir and cover up the scandal, stating, “Only God knows.”

According to Lebanese General Security sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Zuheir arrived in Beirut on August 21 aboard a private jet and departed for Turkey on August 25 from Rafiq Hariri International Airport. Sources noted that “there was no judicial order requiring his detention at the airport,” which an Iraqi judicial official attributed to his “status as a guarantor by the Iraqi judiciary.” Lebanese security sources also revealed that Zuheir holds Jordanian and Iraqi diplomatic passports and is a frequent visitor to Lebanon.

Zuheir was initially arrested in 2022 but was released after returning just 5% of the allegedly stolen funds. He has consistently denied the charges, describing the case as a “blatant attempt to extort him.” The scandal, dating back to 2022, implicates five oil companies and several officials linked to former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. Zuheir’s trial has faced multiple delays, with the most recent session postponed due to his absence on August 14.

Corruption remains a pervasive issue in Iraq’s state institutions, where high-ranking officials rarely face judicial convictions. Iraq ranks 157th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.