Suspect in Iraqi bank heist arrested in Jordan

BAGHDAD, August 3 – Iraq’s Integrity Commission announced on Thursday that a businessman accused of involvement in a historic bank heist that stole $2.5 billion from the country’s coffers was apprehended in Jordan in an operation supervised by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani.

In a statement received by 964, the Commission said:

The Integrity Commission of Iraq revealed that the intensive efforts and direct follow-up by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, in collaboration and coordination with the federal authority and judiciary, led to the recovery of one of the suspects involved in the theft of tax revenues.

The Recovery Department within the Commission, while discussing the retrieval of the suspect, stated that they have managed to bring back one of the businessmen accused of stealing tax revenues, from the Jordanian authorities. The Commission highlighted that the recovery operation was carried out under the direct supervision and monitoring of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani.

The department elaborated that the suspect faced several charges, including collusion with one of the main accomplices in stealing tax revenues by providing facilities to fictitious foreign companies and arranging a fake waiver from these companies to the main suspect in the case. This resulted in the theft of more than three trillion Iraqi dinars.

Furthermore, it was revealed that the suspect is wanted in two cases, with the Second Karkh Investigation Court issuing multiple arrest and search warrants against him for charges related to the theft of tax revenues and impersonation of a government official, in accordance with the provisions of Article 444/11 of the Penal Code and Resolution 160 of 1983.

It is worth noting that the diplomatic efforts of the Prime Minister and the expansion of cooperation and bilateral relations with other countries have recently led to collaboration in the retrieval of convicts and smuggled funds. The latest cooperation involved the retrieval of convicts from the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. The Integrity Commission also announced the opening of two accounts in the Rafidain Bank, one in Iraqi dinars and the other in US dollars, for depositing the recovered amounts, including the stolen tax revenues.