Sudan Fights Corruption by Freezing ‘Suspicious’ Bank Accounts

Wagdi Salih, a member of Sudan’s Committee to Dismantle the June 30, 1989 Regime and Retrieve Public Funds. SUNA
Wagdi Salih, a member of Sudan’s Committee to Dismantle the June 30, 1989 Regime and Retrieve Public Funds. SUNA
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Sudan Fights Corruption by Freezing ‘Suspicious’ Bank Accounts

Wagdi Salih, a member of Sudan’s Committee to Dismantle the June 30, 1989 Regime and Retrieve Public Funds. SUNA
Wagdi Salih, a member of Sudan’s Committee to Dismantle the June 30, 1989 Regime and Retrieve Public Funds. SUNA

Sudan’s Committee to Dismantle the June 30, 1989 Regime and Retrieve Public Funds announced seizing several banking accounts dealing in billions of Sudanese pounds, trading on the parallel market, and involved in money laundering.

Social media users shared a circular issued to commercial banks operating in the country, ordering them to freeze 163 bank accounts mostly belonging to individuals from the ousted regime.

Frozen bank accounts belong to senior officials who served under Omar al-Bashir.

The circular, published by the Central Bank of Sudan, also covers accounts belonging to the officials’ relatives and children.

According to the circular, the central bank decided to seize the accounts based on a letter issued by the Committee to Dismantle the June 30, 1989 Regime and Retrieve Public Funds.

The Committee enjoys far-reaching jurisdiction to dismantle the former regime, its institutions, and political and economic power centers. Apart from putting former regime symbols on trial, the Committee also retrieves funds amassed by corrupt individuals who were powerful under Bashir’s rule.

Additionally, the Committee is clearing state institutions from employees assigned to their posts simply because of their political allegiance to the former regime.

Wagdi Salih, a lawyer, and politician who sits on the 18-member body, has revealed that the Committee could seize 90 bank accounts that handled over 64 billion Sudanese pounds in transactions in a short time.

Salih noted that the bank accounts belonged to individuals who were not involved in a clear economic activity or businesses in a press conference.

However, these accounts have been tied to money laundering and currency exchange schemes. Some of the owners of these accounts have been arrested with procedures pending for other account holders residing abroad.

For his part, Salih denied that the goal of the Committee’s operation was to expose people’s accounts in banks and said that his Committee only pursues suspicious accounts and according to legal and constitutional references.



Confession in Hisham al-Hashimi Killing Sparks Outrage in Iraq

File photo shows an Iraqi man standing in front of a poster of researcher Hisham al-Hashimi, who was shot dead in Baghdad in July 2020 (AP)
File photo shows an Iraqi man standing in front of a poster of researcher Hisham al-Hashimi, who was shot dead in Baghdad in July 2020 (AP)
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Confession in Hisham al-Hashimi Killing Sparks Outrage in Iraq

File photo shows an Iraqi man standing in front of a poster of researcher Hisham al-Hashimi, who was shot dead in Baghdad in July 2020 (AP)
File photo shows an Iraqi man standing in front of a poster of researcher Hisham al-Hashimi, who was shot dead in Baghdad in July 2020 (AP)

A leaked video showing the confession of the man accused of killing prominent Iraqi researcher Hisham al-Hashimi has reignited public scrutiny of the 2020 assassination and raised fresh questions about those behind the killing and the judiciary's handling of the case.

The video, widely circulated among Iraqi users on X, shows Ahmed Hamdawi Owaid detailing his role in the drive-by shooting that claimed al-Hashimi’s life outside his home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district.

The clip sparked a torrent of commentary on social media, with many Iraqis criticizing both armed factions and the judiciary.

Speculation swirled over who leaked the interrogation footage, which appears to have come from a police officer, and what their motives were. Many believe the leak was a calculated move by opponents of both the judiciary and powerful militias, reflecting the deep divisions between Iraq’s ruling forces, armed groups, and judicial authorities.

In the video, Hamdawi names senior Kataib Hezbollah figure and current lawmaker Hussein Moanes as the one who ordered the hit, a revelation seen as a direct blow to the Iran-aligned militia. Moanes, also known by his alias Abu Ali al-Askari, recently lashed out at calls to disarm armed factions.

Al-Askari had operated anonymously on X for years before al-Hashimi revealed his identity weeks ahead of his assassination, linking him to Moanes, a move that some now view as a possible trigger for the killing.

While some outlets quoted Moanes denying involvement, the Sabereen News channel, which is affiliated with armed groups, said he has not issued any official response.

Judiciary Under Fire

The leak has placed Iraq’s judiciary under renewed scrutiny, particularly after it released Hamdawi in March 2024 for “lack of evidence” despite his recorded confession and detailed description of the crime.

Rather than addressing the inconsistencies surrounding Hamdawi’s release, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council issued a statement condemning the leak, calling it illegal and an attempt to mislead public opinion.

The council confirmed that Hamdawi had been detained under Order No. 29, which established a committee led by former intelligence officer Abu Ragheef during Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s tenure.

The statement added that Hamdawi gave different testimony before the judicial committee than what he said in the leaked video.

The Abu Ragheef committee had previously faced criticism from armed faction-aligned figures, and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ultimately disbanded it in 2022 after assuming office.

The judiciary noted that the leaked video was likely filmed by a police officer on the committee, and that its publication violated legal investigative procedures.

Calls for Justice Persist

It remains unclear whether the new evidence will lead to a retrial. Hamdawi was reinstated as a police officer after his acquittal, and a leaked document suggests he was included in the Interior Ministry’s annual promotions list.

Judicial sources say a retrial is unlikely given the political pressure on the courts and resistance from influential factions to reopening the case.

Al-Hashimi, an expert on extremist groups and a government advisor, was gunned down on July 6, 2020. Days later, Kadhimi announced the arrest of the suspects, including Hamdawi, whose initial confession was broadcast on state television.

Despite multiple court hearings beginning in September 2021, the judiciary postponed the verdict in six separate sessions before ultimately releasing him in late 2022. The delays fueled suspicions among activists and civil society groups that political pressure was exerted to secure Hamdawi’s release.

Five years on, al-Hashimi’s murder remains unsolved, and his killers have yet to face justice.