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Kadhimi Slams Arrest Warrants against Ex-Govt Officials in Iraq’s ‘Heist of the Century’

Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)
Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)
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Kadhimi Slams Arrest Warrants against Ex-Govt Officials in Iraq’s ‘Heist of the Century’

Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)
Then Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi poses in his office during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 23, 2021. (AP)

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi criticized on Saturday the arrest warrants issued against a former minister who served in his government.

The Commission of integrity had issued the warrants against four senior officials in Kadhimi’s former government, including his finance minister, for their alleged facilitation of the theft of $2.5 billion in public funds, known in the country as the "heist of the century."

The three other men are staff members in the former government.

The four men are accused of "facilitating the embezzlement of sums belonging to the tax authorities," the Commission of integrity said, adding that they would also be subject to an asset freeze.

Kadhimi slammed the warrants, saying they were "selective" and aimed at diverting attention from the investigations.

"They are repeated attempts to cover up the real criminals," he declared in a statement.

The warrants do not name any of the officials, but according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, they are former finance minister Ali Allawi, the director of cabinet Raed Jouhi, personal secretary Ahmed Najati, and adviser Mushrik Abbas.

Kadhimi defended the former officials, stating they have "fully performed their duties according to the law."

They are not connected to the tax file, "which is evidence that the issuing of the warrants is politically motivated," he went on to say.

The warrants are aimed at targeting political rivals for the purpose of creating media and political uproar instead of actually pursuing the real culprits, he charged

"How can those who exposed the theft be held responsible and those who actually committed it be rewarded?" he wondered.

Moreover, Kadhimi said the arrests were issued by sides that are connected to political parties, and therefore, are not independent.

It is evident that this is part of a plot to target and settle scores with anyone connected to the former government, he added.

Furthermore, he stressed that his government had since its appointment in 2020 demanded audits of taxes. The ensuing probe led to the arrest of suspects, who were referred to the judiciary.

The details of the probe were "transparently and courageously" released to the public, he said.

He demanded that the "honest Iraqi judiciary" carry out its duties with the support of a transparent and just international investigation that would expose the real culprits and put an end to political acts of vengeance.

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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)

Geneva has hosted a third “roundtable” of meetings involving Sudanese political and civil groups aimed at bridging the gap between the country’s warring parties. These talks, coordinated by the French organization Promediation, follow similar meetings held previously in Cairo and Geneva. The primary goals are to negotiate a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians.

The two-day meetings, which began on Monday, include representatives from the Coordination of Democratic Civil Forces (Tagadum), the pro-army Democratic Bloc coalition, and armed movements aligned with the bloc. However, some groups have announced their boycott of the meetings.

The Democratic Bloc has shown conflicting stances on attending the Geneva talks. Mohammed Zakaria, spokesperson for the bloc and a member of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced his group’s decision not to participate.

Omar Khalafallah, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party and another bloc spokesperson, refuted Zakaria’s statement, insisting that the bloc would attend the meetings to promote a national vision.

A source within the Democratic Bloc told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings revealed significant internal divisions in the coalition. The JEM, led by current Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, appears to be charting its own course, which the source described as a form of defection.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sharif Mohammed Osman, a leader in Tagadum and the political secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party, explained that the meetings seek to achieve consensus on ending the war through negotiated solutions, starting with a humanitarian truce to ensure aid delivery and the opening of safe corridors.

These measures are considered preliminary steps toward a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he underlined.

A wide array of civilian leaders are participating in the talks, including key figures from Tagadum, such as Sudanese Congress Party leader Omar Al-Dukair, Federal Gathering Party leader Babiker Faisal, and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council Al-Hadi Idris.

Osman expressed optimism that the participants would issue a unified final statement addressing the peaceful resolution of the war and agreeing on a humanitarian truce to facilitate aid delivery.

In October, Cairo hosted a similar meeting, which resulted in a final statement signed by the participating groups, except for the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi faction and the JEM – Jibril Ibrahim faction, which refused to endorse the Cairo declaration despite attending the discussions.

Promediation, a French organization supported by the French and Swiss foreign ministries, has played a consistent role in Sudanese affairs. Since June 2022, it has organized roundtable discussions, initially focusing on negotiations between Darfuri armed movements before expanding its scope to include Sudanese political and civil forces in the wake of the war.