Khaberni - Munir Haddad - the legal advisor to the judge heading the Iraqi government - revealed that the amount of funds embezzled in Iraq from 2003 to the present exceeds the two trillion dollar mark, and that the figures for theft and the properties of the accused "exceed the level of reason and logic," according to what was reported by the Iraqi News Agency yesterday, Wednesday.
Haddad said that the detained individuals - whose numbers are increasing - are under continuous investigation, explaining that the main defendants currently have provided details during their confessions that led the security and judicial authorities to other wanted individuals who attempted to escape and flee outside Iraq, or seek refuge in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, which "has surrendered 8 accused so far."
"High-ranking Officials on the Accused List"
Haddad clarified that "the list of the accused includes corrupt high-ranking officials, among them current and former officials and deputies, and that the crimes being considered are not limited to traditional embezzlement but also include cases of abnormal financial wealth accumulation, legally classified among money laundering crimes."
While Haddad described the seized figures in the possession of ministry agents and officials as "unreadable and unbelievable," he noted the seizure of officials who each own more than 50 properties registered in their name or in their family’s names, adding that one of the suspect’s wives purchased a property worth 5 million dollars.
He explained that more than 28 people in the Basra Electricity Department in southern Iraq have been arrested, and that the campaign will include departments in Nasiriyah, Amarah, and the rest of the provinces without any exceptions or red lines, affirming that there will be no time limit to end this crackdown.
He pointed out that the trials will be public and the sessions will be broadcast to the citizens, emphasizing that it will be impossible to release the convicted defendants, and noting that if conditional release on bail happens, it will require payments equating to the amount of stolen money.
