The Federal Integrity Commission has announced a major win for Iraq.
More than three million dollars in stolen money has been recovered. The money belonged to the Baghdad Municipality and was taken through corruption years ago.
According to the commission, this recovery happened after Lebanese courts ruled in favor of the Iraqi government. The commission said that careful follow-up, working closely with the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut, made this possible.
The recovered amount — $3,014,457 — was deposited into the Iraqi Embassy’s account at Al-Rafidain Bank in Beirut. From there, the money was officially transferred through the international SWIFT banking system, making the recovery fully legal and documented.
But the work isn’t over yet.
The commission confirmed it is still finalizing the transfer of ownership of a luxury apartment in a prime location. This apartment was bought using the stolen funds. The process is now in its final steps, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice and the Iraqi Embassy in Lebanon.
The commission explained that this money is part of a much larger corruption case involving 17 billion Iraqi dinars stolen from the Baghdad Municipality.
The main person involved, Zeina Saud, was arrested in Lebanon back in 2010 while trying to flee. She was later sentenced to life in prison, and the court ordered all her assets — inside and outside Iraq — to be confiscated.
Officials also revealed that earlier efforts already led to the recovery of $9.38 million more. That money had been hidden in five Lebanese banks, using fake names.
The commission stressed that these results came through strong cooperation with national and international authorities, and said efforts to recover more stolen assets will continue
