Judicial order to freeze al-Kadhimi’s assets on suspicion of illicit gain

The Iraqi judiciary issued an order to seize the movable and immovable assets of former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi as part of an investigation into the extent of Al-Kadhimi’s wealth, but without warrants of arrest or travel bans.

A source familiar with the file said that the decision came after the inflation in the funds of the former Prime Minister, who repeatedly stressed during his tenure in power the need to combat corruption, indicating that he was the first to order an investigation in the case, which has become known through the media and politics as stealing the century.

The Commission on Integrity, which is charged with investigating major corruption cases, has arrested a number of former officials, including an adviser in al-Kadhimi’s office and other officials close to him.

The arrests gave the impression that the noose around al-Kadhimi’s inner circle was getting closer to him personally.

The former Prime Minister had reportedly left Iraq, but denied the reports. Investigations into the theft of the century, which involved the embezzlement of $2.5 billion in tax deposits at the government’s Rafidain Bank, are ongoing.

Activists and human rights activists warn against impunity, saying that the Iraqi authorities are chasing young whales, while corrupt barons, including senior state officials or those linked to powerful political forces, succeed in escaping accountability.

A government source disclosed last May that a close associate of Al-Kadhimi had surrendered to the Supreme Committee for Combating Corruption. This is the latest development in a case that is causing controversy in Iraq and highlighting the extent of corruption that plagues the Iraqi state.

“Dhia Al-Moussawi, a general in the Iraqi intelligence service who is close to former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, has been referred to the High Anti-Corruption Committee of the Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq,” the source said at the time.

“Al-Moussawi is a close associate of the former prime minister who provided information on individuals in al-Kadhimi’s office who were involved in stealing the horn,” he said. Al-Moussawi returned to Iraq a few weeks ago after leaving the country for a while and decided to turn himself in to the relevant authorities.

According to this development, Al-Moussawi is expected to draw other senior leaders into the investigation on suspicion of involvement in looting public funds and financial and administrative corruption.

In mid-April, the Iraqi Federal Integrity Commission issued an arrest and search warrant against Mishaal Abbas, the former political advisor to al-Kadhimi, justifying its decision by his refusal to disclose his financial disclosure without a valid excuse. In November of last year, a security force affiliated with the Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission arrested former deputy Haitham al-Jubouri, the former financial advisor to the previous prime minister, who also held several government and parliamentary positions, based on suspicions of an unknown and illegitimate source of wealth accumulation.

“The arrest warrant is also related to confessions made by Noor Zuhair, the owner of Al-Ahadb Company and the main defendant in the “Theft of the Century” case, to the judicial authorities against al-Jubouri,” the former deputy and head of the parliamentary finance committee.

The decision to freeze al-Kadhimi’s assets indicates the expanding scope of the investigations led by the Integrity Commission, which was granted broad powers by the current Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani. 

Al-Sudani had pledged, since assuming office as the prime minister, to make the fight against corruption one of his top priorities. However, American reports cast doubt on his ability to fulfill his commitments, pointing out that despite his “clean hands,” he would not be able to fight corruption barons effectively.