ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's prominent Shiite cleric and politician Ammar al-Hakim on Saturday called for the public trial of major corruption suspects, saying there should be no leniency for anyone convicted of embezzling public funds, as Baghdad presses ahead with a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
In a Saturday post on X, Hakim said they reiterate their call “for public trials of high-level corrupt officials," adding that “there will be no leniency or tolerance for anyone proven guilty of misappropriating public funds.”
The head of the National Wisdom Movement also voiced support for Iraq's judiciary and the federal government in “pursuing and holding the corrupt accountable - regardless of their positions or affiliations - and in applying the law to everyone without exception.”
“Neither rank nor affiliation shall serve as a pretext to evade accountability once guilt is established by law," he added.
His remarks come as Iraq has stepped up efforts to prosecute high-profile corruption cases in response to growing public demands for accountability.
Late last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi launched Operation Dawn, a nationwide anti-corruption campaign targeting Baghdad and several other provinces. A day later, government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said arrest warrants had been carried out against 21 suspects, while several others had fled the country and were being pursued by authorities.
Following the launch of the campaign, Zaidi instructed the finance ministry to establish a dedicated bank account to receive funds recovered from corruption cases.
Hakim's statement follows an announcement by Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Friday regarding businessman Noor Zuhair, the main defendant in the so-called ‘heist of the century’ case.
The “heist of the century” involves a massive corruption scandal centered on the fraudulent withdrawal of tax-guarantee funds between September 2021 and August 2022, when Iraq's state-owned Rafidain Bank disbursed funds in the form of 247 cheques to five shell companies, two of which - al-Qanat and al-Mubdi'oun - were owned by Zuhair. The case was first exposed in October 2022.
The council said Zuhair had returned only 365 billion Iraqi dinars (about $279 million) of the approximately 1.6 trillion dinars (about $1.24 billion) allegedly embezzled before leaving Iraq. Authorities said they are working through Interpol to secure his return.
According to the council, Zuhair has requested to benefit from Iraq's general amnesty law by repaying the remaining funds. The request requires the opinion of the federal finance ministry, which has yet to respond, leaving the case pending.
The finance ministry said on Saturday that its role in such cases is limited to financial procedures related to recovering stolen state funds and safeguarding the public treasury, adding that decisions on criminal proceedings remain the responsibility of the judiciary.
