Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi emphasized the necessity of protecting "the existence of the Iraqi state and fighting the scourge of corruption" which threatens the institutions of the Iraqi people, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
اضافة اعلان
During a meeting with several Iraqi tribal chiefs, Al-Zaidi stated that the country must move forward with restricting weapons to the state, thereby supporting the Iraqi armed forces in fulfilling their role. He stressed the role of tribes in this regard, their alignment with the law and the enforcement of its authority, and their backing of the government's service and social programs, as well as economic reform steps.
Meanwhile, the legal advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Judge Munir Haddad, stated that the volume of looted funds from Iraq since 2003 has exceeded the $2 trillion mark, describing the theft figures and the real estate assets of the accused as "beyond reason and logic."
He added that investigations with detained suspects are still ongoing, and there are no final statistics regarding their numbers due to the continuous increases resulting from daily security operations and raids, noting that the trials of those accused of corruption will be public.
He explained that the main suspects gave detailed confessions that led to the arrest of other defendants, pointing out that some wanted individuals tried to flee outside Iraq or seek refuge in the Kurdistan Region, which cooperated and handed over eight suspects so far.
He noted that the list of suspects includes current and former officials as well as members of parliament, indicating that the cases are not limited to embezzlement crimes but also include illicit enrichment, which is subject to the "Where did you get this from?" principle and is classified under money laundering crimes.
He described the seized funds and real estate assets held by some officials as "unbelievable," pointing to cases of purchasing multi-million-dollar properties and some defendants owning more than fifty properties registered in their names or the names of their family members.
He stressed that Iraqi laws regarding the protection of public funds allow for holding accountable the entities responsible for appointing these officials to their positions, expressing surprise at how some employees or engineers reached high-ranking positions without proper qualifications, as he described.
He emphasized that all recovered funds and seized properties will return to the Iraqi state treasury, expressing confidence in the Prime Minister's seriousness and asserting that there are no international pressures hindering the campaign, but rather international support for anti-corruption efforts in Iraq.
He clarified that investigations and raids are conducted in complete secrecy to ensure that wanted individuals do not flee, noting that the Prime Minister has shown great firmness and rejected pressures and objections from political factions that fear the consequences of the confessions.
