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Parliamentary Committee: $240 Bn Have Been Smuggled Outside Iraq since 2003

Iraqi men hold a banner during an anti-corruption demonstration at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. (File photo: Reuters)
Iraqi men hold a banner during an anti-corruption demonstration at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. (File photo: Reuters)
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Parliamentary Committee: $240 Bn Have Been Smuggled Outside Iraq since 2003

Iraqi men hold a banner during an anti-corruption demonstration at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. (File photo: Reuters)
Iraqi men hold a banner during an anti-corruption demonstration at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. (File photo: Reuters)

Iraq’s parliamentary integrity committee announced that about $240 billion have been smuggled outside the country since 2003.

Committee member Taha al-Difai indicated that the government formed an anti-corruption committee which came under political pressure, affecting its performance.

Difai told the state-owned Iraqi News Agency on Monday that he hopes the committee will be able to continue its work and investigate major cases such as corruption in ministries.

“Around IQD1,000 trillion ($685 billion) have been disbursed since 2003,” he said, adding that they include the budgets of the operational and investment ministries.

Difai pointed out that this amount was “wasted in contracting and rampant corruption,” noting that the committee concluded that the majority of projects in Baghdad or the provinces were assigned to incompetent companies.

The works were not completed and money was used for small projects rather than establishing strategic projects as main roads and highways, he indicated.

“The amount [$240 billion] was smuggled in the form of fake receipts and commissions were paid to officials,” pointed out Difai.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pledged that 2021 will be the year of uncovering major truths about corruption.

Kadhimi said the government is determined to fight corruption this year, despite the pressures from various figures and parties against the measures taken by the special anti-corruption committee.

Meanwhile, Masoud Haidar, an advisor to Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, accused Shiite parties of stealing more than $1 trillion from Iraq.

Haidar indicated that Shiite parties do not have any plans to serve Iraq and are not capable of governing the state.

Over the past years, Baghdad and Erbil have been locked in a series of disputes, most recently the oil crisis in exchange for the salaries of the region's state employees, which remains unsolved since 2015.

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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to the Middle East, stating that Moscow “has not and will not withdraw from the region.” He emphasized ongoing communication with Syria’s new leadership and expressed readiness to support the political process in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov attributed Syria’s deteriorating situation to the previous regime, blaming its unwillingness to implement reforms and share power with the opposition.

“The refusal of the former Syrian regime to make any changes or share power with the opposition was one of the primary reasons for its collapse,” he said.

Lavrov noted that over the past decade, since President Bashar al-Assad requested Russian intervention in the Syrian war and the launch of the Astana peace process, Damascus had delayed advancing the political path.

“Despite support from Arab nations, Syrian authorities showed reluctance to move forward politically and sought to maintain the status quo,” he explained.

He highlighted Russia’s repeated calls for the Syrian government to engage with the Constitutional Committee, established during the 2018 Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, and to actively work on drafting a new constitution.

Lavrov also pointed to economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions, which have stifled Syria’s economy, and US control over oil-rich eastern regions. Resources were exploited to fuel separatist ambitions in northeastern Syria, he remarked.

Moreover, the FM revealed details of Moscow’s earlier discussions with Kurdish groups, reiterating his country’s position that Kurdish rights should be guaranteed within the constitutional frameworks of Syria, Iraq, Iran and Türkiye.

He argued that the previous Syrian regime’s reluctance to engage in political dialogue resulted in stalled reforms proposed by the United Nations, Moscow and Cairo platforms, and Istanbul-based opposition groups. This inaction, he said, created a vacuum that ultimately led to the collapse.

Furthermore, he dismissed claims that his country’s withdrawal from Syria would signal its departure from the Middle East.

“Russia has not and will not leave the region,” he declared. Without directly addressing the status of Russian military bases in Syria, Lavrov emphasized: “Our embassy never left Damascus, and we maintain ongoing communication with the authorities.”

He also stressed Russia’s willingness to facilitate inclusive dialogue involving all national, political and sectarian factions, as well as relevant international stakeholders. Lavrov underscored that recent discussions with Türkiye, Gulf nations, and other parties demonstrated widespread agreement that Russia and Iran must be involved in the Syrian peace process if sustainable results are to be achieved.

For his part, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, reaffirmed Russia’s focus on developments in Syria, describing relations with Damascus as a “priority of Russian foreign policy.”

Reports on Tuesday suggested that Bogdanov might soon lead a Russian delegation to Damascus. However, a Russian diplomatic source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that no date for the visit has been confirmed. The visit, which was reportedly postponed, would mark the first by a senior Russian official to Damascus since the fall of Assad’s regime in December.

Meanwhile, media reports indicated that Moscow is facing logistical challenges in withdrawing military equipment from Syria, due to restrictions imposed by Syrian authorities on the movement of Russian ships in territorial waters.

According to the English-language edition of RT, the Russian ship Sparta 2, designated to transport military equipment and weapons, was denied entry to the Port of Tartus, where Russia maintains its only overseas naval base.