ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than $2 trillion has been looted in Iraq since the 2003 overthrow of the Baathist regime, a prominent Iraqi judge and senior legal advisor to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said late Wednesday, adding that suspects arrested in the nationwide anti-corruption crackdown - launched by the premier over the weekend - will be publicly tried.
“The amount of money looted from Iraq since 2003 has exceeded $2 trillion,” said Judge Munir Haddad during an interview with the state-run Iraqiya News channel, describing the scale of the thefts and the real estate holdings of those accused as “beyond reason and comprehension.”
The remarks come as Iraqi authorities continue to make headway with Operation Dawn, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign launched Sunday under the direction of Prime Minister Zaidi in coordination with Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity.
The operation has so far netted dozens of Iraqi politicians and government employees, along with tens of millions of dollars in stolen assets and seized state properties illegally transferred into private ownership.
Haddad said Wednesday “there are no final figures on the number of those detained so far, as the figure continues to rise due to ongoing daily operations and raids,” adding “the principal suspects in custody have provided detailed confessions that led security and judicial authorities to identify and apprehend additional suspects.”
He noted that the efforts are currently being conducted under strict secrecy as “some wanted individuals had attempted to evade arrest by fleeing Iraq or seeking refuge in the Kurdistan Region,” underscoring that Erbil instead “cooperated by handing over eight suspects so far.”
Haddad further explained that “the list of suspects includes senior officials accused of corruption, among them current and former government officials as well as members of parliament,” and that the cases under investigation “are not limited to conventional embezzlement but also include allegations of unexplained wealth accumulation … legally classified as a money laundering offense in Iraq.”
Amid the seizure of tens of millions of dollars stashed away by suspects, Zaidi on Monday ordered the establishment of a recovery fund to collect and hold public assets recovered from corrupt officials.
Haddad on Wednesday affirmed that “all recovered funds and seized properties will be returned in full to the Iraqi state treasury,” pointing to “very strong international support for the anti-corruption campaign," which he said "will inevitably entail public trials and open court hearings broadcast for citizens to watch" - similar to the trials of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and other Baathist officials, he said.
Of note, the remarks by the premier’s legal advisor came shortly after the United Nations on Wednesday welcomed the ongoing crackdown on corruption in Iraq, describing images that surfaced online of cash hidden underground and in brick walls as impactful, while stressing the importance of governments addressing rampant corruption.
RELATED: UN welcomes Iraq's anti-corruption crackdown, calls cash-in-walls images ‘moving’
