Integrity Commission pursues businessmen behind “Heist of the Century”

In an effort to restore public confidence in the government’s committment to prosecuting the perpetrators of the "Heist of the Century", the head of the Integrity Commission appeared in a fiery press conference last week to declare that the theft of the tax deposits "will not die."

Judge Haider Hanoun confirmed suspicions that the total amount siphoned off from the Taxes Commission account in Rafidain Bank is much larger than the commonly cited $2.5 billion figure. In a clear sign of poor cooperation with the Finance Ministry, Hanoun demanded transparency from the Taxes Commission and the Minister of Finance regarding the actual amount of stolen funds. He urged the director of the Taxes Commission to disclose the figure within 15 days, warning that failure to do so would prompt an audit by the Integrity Commission.