Iraq is recovering a fraction of the $2.5 billion that was stolen in tax returns

Iraq recoveredpart$2.5 billion Fraudulently withdrawn from a bank tax accountOn Sunday, November 27, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shea al-Sudani announced a call on everyone involved in this scandal to surrender and return the stolen public funds. “The competent authorities were able to recover a down payment of 182.6 billion Iraqi dinarsThat is, with more than 125 million dollars, Muhammad Chia Al-Sudani announced.

He also announced that one of the businessmen involved in this case, Noor Zuhair Jassim, had returned just over $125 million out of the more than $1 billion he had.He confessedAnd it happened. Mohamed Shea Al-Sudani said that the businessman will be released on bail in exchange for returning the rest of the stolen money within two weeks.

Samples between September 2021 and August 2022

The case, which was made public in mid-October, has sparked outrage in Iraq, which is rich in oil and has been hit by a rampant corruption.

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And a document from the General Tax Administration indicated that $2.5 billion was collected between September 2021 and August 2022, through 247 checks cashed by five companies. The money was then withdrawn in cash from the accounts of these companies, whose owners, who are mostly fugitives, are subject to arrest warrants.

He was speaking during a televised speech, surrounded by stacks of banknotes stacked in bundles. This money was returned by Nur Zuhair Jassim, who was arrested at the end of October at Baghdad airport while trying to leave the country on a private plane.

agreement with the accused

I found justice ayesMuhammad Chia Al-Sudani said that the defendants will return the full amount. “He will be released on bail to facilitate the process of restitution.Muhammad Shea Al-Sudani said that another accused was arrested in the autonomous region of Kurdistan and will be handed over to the authorities in Baghdad.

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“We call on all defendants against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in this case to surrender and return the stolen funds“Hit the prime minister.”The most important thing is the return of money. What does it matter if it is so and so in prison, if it is not ($2.5 billion) in the state coffers?Justified.

Despite the corruption that has infiltrated all state institutions and public administrations, if there are convictions in Iraq, they often target intermediate levels of the state or simple executors, and rarely the top of the pyramid.