Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council announced Friday that 12 employees of the General Commission for Taxes have been sentenced to prison for assisting businessman Noor Zuhair in withdrawing massive state funds as part of the country’s notorious “heist of the century” corruption scandal.

The council stated that the convictions are part of an expanded push by specialized anti-corruption courts to prosecute financial crimes and recover stolen public money.

Fugitive Sentenced, International Hunt Begins

Noor Zuhair, the primary suspect in the multi-billion-dollar case, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison. Zuhair had been granted bail in November 2023 under an agreement between the head of the Supreme Judicial Council and the former prime minister aimed at facilitating the recovery of the stolen cash.

However, after returning a portion of the funds, Zuhair halted payments and fled Iraq. Authorities have since finalized an extradition file and requested the Arab and International Police Directorate to secure his arrest and return.

So far, the state has recovered 365 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $279 million) from Zuhair. In addition, officials have seized real estate and other assets belonging to several of the convicted individuals located in both Iraq and Kuwait.

Theft Estimates Explode to 8 Trillion Dinars

The scheme dates back to 2022, when Iraq’s Tax Authority accused five private companies of conspiring with Finance Ministry and tax officials to embezzle money from government tax deposit accounts. The funds consisted of deposits paid by businesses and individuals executing government contracts or importing goods, which were meant to be refunded later.

While the stolen amount was initially reported to be 2.5 trillion Iraqi dinars (around $1.7 billion at the time), the scale of the corruption has since dramatically expanded. On May 19, 2026, Iraq’s parliamentary Integrity Committee revealed that ongoing investigations had uncovered much deeper embezzlement, raising the estimated theft to nearly 8 trillion Iraqi dinars and linking roughly 30 people to the crime.

Wider Government Crackdown

The Supreme Judicial Council noted it is currently coordinating with Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi to establish a constitutional and legal framework that would allow for reduced legal penalties or eligibility under Iraq’s amended Amnesty Law for suspects who voluntarily return stolen public funds.

The sentences come amid a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Last week, Iraqi authorities arrested dozens of administrative and financial corruption suspects, including lawmakers and government officials whose legal immunity was stripped.

Many of the recent arrests followed developments in the investigation of former Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs Adnan Al-Jumaili, who was dismissed from his post on June 2, 2026, over allegations of awarding illegal contracts and wasting public funds.