Iraq seeks Zuheir’s return through Interpol in ‘Theft of the Century’ case

BAGHDAD — Iraqi authorities have begun procedures through Interpol to seek the return of Nur Zuheir, the main defendant in the case known as the “Theft of the Century,” according to documents issued by the Supreme Judicial Council.

The documents show the Public Prosecution notified the Interior Ministry’s Arab and International Police Directorate to circulate and execute an arrest warrant against Zuheir after the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court sentenced him in absentia to 10 years in prison.

Under the ruling, Zuheir was convicted under Article 444/11 of Iraq’s Penal Code, with time already spent in detention credited toward his sentence. The court also ordered an arrest warrant, reaffirmed the seizure of his movable and immovable assets, and preserved the right of affected parties to pursue compensation through civil courts.

A separate prosecution document instructed the police directorate to publish the warrant and begin extradition procedures through Interpol, asking authorities to notify Iraq if Zuheir is apprehended so legal measures can proceed.

Zuheir’s case illustrates the cross-border recovery difficulties Iraqi officials have acknowledged. On Saturday, Abbas Mutab, director general of the Federal Commission of Integrity’s Recovery Department, said some countries were refusing to cooperate in returning assets and extraditing corruption suspects, citing their own laws, economic and humanitarian considerations, and cases in which a suspect has obtained refugee status abroad, complicating extradition. He said the commission had prepared draft memorandums of understanding to expand cooperation through negotiations, but did not name the countries involved.

The tax-deposits embezzlement case, widely known in Iraq as the “Theft of the Century,” emerged publicly in 2022 and has become one of the country’s largest corruption scandals. It centers on the fraudulent withdrawal of tax deposits held by the General Commission for Taxes.

In November 2024, the Karkh Criminal Court sentenced Zuheir to 10 years in absentia after he failed to appear for trial. It also sentenced Raed Jouhi, former head of ex-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s office, to six years, and former parliamentary finance committee chairman Haitham al-Jubouri to three years.

In May, parliament’s Integrity Committee said investigations had identified nearly 8 trillion dinars (about $6 billion at the official rate) in embezzled funds involving roughly 30 people, far exceeding an earlier estimate of $2.5 billion. The committee said efforts to recover money inside and outside Iraq were continuing in coordination with the Federal Commission of Integrity.

The Supreme Judicial Council said on Friday it was working with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on a legal framework that would prioritize recovering misappropriated state funds by allowing reduced legal measures for some corruption suspects who voluntarily return the money. The council said the approach builds on the Zuheir case, in which authorities recovered 365 billion dinars (about $277 million at the official rate) through a repayment agreement before Zuheir left Iraq and repayments stopped.

The judiciary said Zuheir later sought to benefit from Iraq’s amended General Amnesty Law by offering to complete repayment of the remaining funds. His request remains pending after the court sought the Finance Ministry’s approval for the repayment mechanism the law requires.