Iraq’s former finance minister Ali Allawi has told The National he is unaware of the exact details of the charges brought against him in relation to the “heist of the century” investigation.
He said he was ready to fully co-operate with the government.
Mr Allawi, who spoke to The National from his home in London, stepped down from the position of deputy prime minister as well as minister of finance last August. A few months later he was accused of enabling the theft of $2.5 billion.
The officials named by the Iraqi government in the investigation include Mr Allawi and aides to former prime minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, whom Baghdad says now all live outside Iraq.
The four men, including Mr Allawi, are accused of “facilitating the embezzlement of sums belonging to the tax authorities”, the government’s anti-corruption agency said in March.
Mr Allawi denied involvement in a case that has shocked the Iraqi public and sparked outrage at the political elite.
“The whole thing to me is outrageous,” he said, adding," I was accused without knowing any of the details of the accusations."
“I am prepared to open whatever bank accounts they want from me and from my family … to be accused of these things is shocking.”
Funds plundered
The government of Mr Al Kadhimi announced that the funds had been plundered from Iraq between September 2021 and August 2022, while Mr Allawi was in charge of the Finance Ministry.
The case was then followed up by the current Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani last October.
It centres on the discovery of 250 fraudulent cheques that were written from the commission to five shell companies between 2021 and 2022, which were then cashed. It is suspected that the funds had been flown out of the country from Baghdad's International Airport.
Mr Al Allawi accused Mr Al Sudani's government of attempting to “deflect every issue such as corruption, mismanagement and negligence” on the government of Mr Al Kadhimi.
“I was the No 2 man in the Kadhimi government. For whatever reason, I don't think that they would want to, but I don't think they can issue charges against Mustafa, so I'm the second best,” he said.
On Sunday, Haider Hanoun, the head of the Iraqi Commission for Integrity – the country's main anti-corruption agency – called on the “competent authorities in the US and the UK to co-operate in executing arrest warrants” issued against the four former Iraqi officials in March.
Red notice
An Interpol red notice request was issued from Baghdad to arrest high-ranking former politicians including Mr Allawi.
However, the former finance minister denied that a notice from the international body had been issued against him.
“I checked the Interpol's website and my name is not on there. My lawyers in Baghdad have not confirmed and my lawyers in London have no record of it,” he said.
In March, the Iraqi government charged Mr Allawi but no actual letter or notification was given to him or his legal team.
“It wasn't presented to me. I mean, normally, the procedure is that the charge is given to you. Or if you're not there, they send it to your place of residence. It was posted on the website of the Integrity's Commission,” he said.
The charge, he said, was based on a “Saddam-era” law, in reference to the oversized powers the state held at that time.
“After 2003, there was human rights legislation, but never to the point where they could overcome a judge’s wish to use Saddam-era laws,” he said.
The scheme came to light when an internal audit by the Finance Ministry found that the General Commission for Taxes had fraudulently paid the funds to five companies. The initial finding took place during Mr Kadhimi‘s government.
The payments were made from a branch at the state-run Rafidain Bank located within the tax commission.
Powerful links
In Iraq’s deeply rooted patronage system, those who were able to carry out such operations would generally have links to powerful political factions.
“I want to say that, as it relates to me, there is no evidence that links me to the case or taking money from the heist. And I believe there is no evidence that I mismanaged my post, or that I was grossly negligent,” Mr Allawi said.
“What I saw during the time in the ministry was the tip of the tip of the iceberg.”
Assets belonging to Mr Allawi and the other three men have been frozen in Iraq since the arrest warrants were issued this year.
The Iraqi government has sought the return of the suspects to interrogate them.
The main suspect, who was detained in the case, is a businessman named Noor Zuhair Jassim, who is well connected to a number of political parties.
He was released at the end of last year on bail.
The Iraqi government says it has recovered $125 million of the funds through the seizure of assets belonging to him.
The heist is regarded as one of the worst abuses of public funds in Iraq, which ranks 157th out of 180 countries on the global Corruption Perceptions Index.
The%20specs
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Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The five pillars of Islam
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Read more about the coronavirus
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULTS
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