ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iraqi court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for four senior officials from the previous government, including the finance minister, in connection with an investigation into theft of public funds. The Federal Commission of Integrity said in a statement late Thursday that a court in Baghdad has issued arrest warrants for four senior officials from former prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s government. They are former finance minister Ali Allawi, Kadhimi’s political advisor Mushrik Abbas, his personal secretary Ahmed Najati, and the head of his office Raed Juhi. All four of the wanted people currently live outside Iraq, an official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. The commission said the officials are accused of “facilitating the embezzlement of sums of tax sureties.” An investigation by the Iraqi finance ministry in October concluded that $2.5 billion in tax funds were stolen from the General Commission of Taxes’ account at Baghdad's Rafidain Bank between September 2021 and August 2022, during the tenure of Allawi who resigned in mid-August. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in October announced that hundreds of millions of dollars from the embezzled money has been recovered and pledged that, “We will not leave out anyone or any name or any party involved, regardless of who they are, and the parties involved will be announced after completing the investigation.” Rampant corruption plagues all levels of the Iraqi state. Official figures published in 2021 estimated that well over $400 billion has gone missing from state coffers since former dictator Saddam Hussein's regime was overthrown in 2003. The country ranks 157 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
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