Former PM Al-Kadhimi questions ‘theft of the century’ label, denies third party hand in Tishreen protest killings

BAGHDAD – In an interview with the iNews television channel, former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi expressed his surprise at what he called the exaggeration of the theft of tax guarantees—about $3 billion—and the labeling of it as the “theft of the century.” He questioned why a $22 billion case ‘recently revealed’ by MP Yasser Al-Husseini was not being called the “theft of the century.” In an interview with journalist Laith Al-Jazairi, Al-Kadhimi said, “I was the one who uncovered the theft of the century, and I arrested the suspect… but who released him?”

Regarding the killing of protesters during the Tishreen demonstrations, Al-Kadhimi—who previously headed the intelligence service—stated that he does not believe a “third party” was behind targeting protesters. He said the killings were carried out with Iraqi weapons, involving both internal and external parties.

Al-Kadhimi also remarked that the new U.S. administration under Trump views Iraqi armed factions as outside the law, but he denied any knowledge of measures that might be taken against them. He noted that if he were still prime minister, he would prevent any party from attacking these factions, because it is a matter of sovereignty that must be resolved within Iraq. Recalling his time in office, he said no one had dared target those groups back then, even though some factions had threatened him.

He expressed his hope that these groups would engage in politics and relinquish their weapons to the state. “Some factions think they have a conflict with me, but I have no conflict with them,” he said. “I only wish they would think differently, because weapons outside the framework of the state cannot be strong.” He went on to say, “They are young, patriotic Iraqis, and I hope they will think seriously, join the political process, and leave their weapons to the state.”

Regarding the bombing of his residence in November 2021, Al-Kadhimi said, “Iranians visited me and told me that Israel was behind the bombing of my house, but I just laughed.”

On current development projects, Al-Kadhimi noted that the initiatives underway today were part of an emergency plan designed in his office in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, led by Hamid Al-Ghazi. This includes the traffic congestion relief plan being implemented by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s government. He pointed out that the original plan involved building tunnels rather than bridges, as bridge-building methods are “outdated.”

“I am a son of Baghdad,” he said. “What is happening in the capital provokes me,” including “turning Al-Rashid Camp into a residential fiefdom instead of our plan to establish a large park for the people of the capital.”

He continued, “Why are residential complexes being built inside Baghdad? Mr. Al-Maliki established the Bismayah Complex as a new city outside of Baghdad, and it was successful because it’s on the outskirts.” He then asked, “Have bridges solved the problem? Everyone in Baghdad complains about traffic jams.”

Al-Kadhimi sharply criticized what he called disorganized planning: “Unfortunately, one of the advisers accuses me of obstructing the ‘Dari’ [residential land distribution] project, which we intended to serve the poor, but they turned it into a project for the wealthy.”