DUBAI, UAE - The head of Iraqi Commission of Integrity, Haider Hanoun, on Wednesday accused a prominent judge of covering up the country’s largest corruption scandal, known as the Heist of the Century, while also raising concerns about billions of dollars in additional losses.

Speaking at a press conference in Erbil, Hanoun alleged that Judge Diaa Jaafar, who oversees the Integrity Court in Baghdad’s Karkh district, has been shielding suspects involved in the case. 

Hanoun claimed that Jaafar received a plot of land under the false pretense of being a military personnel, asserting that former Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi distributed such plots to secure political loyalties.

“An estimated $18 billion was squandered in the railway case, where Iraq’s entire railway infrastructure was sold off,” Hanoun said. 

He criticized Jaafar for not reviewing the case for two months, stating, “There are those who want to return Iraq to the era of horse-drawn carts.”

Hanoun called on the head of Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, to back his request for a public parliamentary session where Judge Jaafar could be questioned. He also claimed that the high-profile case of Noor Zuhair, another key figure in the corruption scandal, had been transferred from Basra to Baghdad and subsequently disappeared under Jaafar’s supervision.

The accusations follow Hanoun’s arrival in Erbil earlier Wednesday to formalize a joint anti-corruption agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

His comments came just hours after audio recordings were leaked, purportedly implicating Hanoun and his associates in pressuring real estate and tax department employees to assist in the illegal acquisition of land in Amara.

Hanoun denied the allegations against him, stating, “I own only two plots of land in Maysan, and the rumors are false,” and urged the Iraqi Parliament to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

A responsible source in the Commission of Integrity told the Iraqi state media that “reports circulating in the media and on social media about the issuance of an arrest warrant against the head of the Integrity Commission of Integrity are not true.”

The source added that the statements made during Judge Hanoun's press conference were misunderstood. The judge had said that he “did not care whether an arrest warrant was issued against him or not,” stating that “going to prison would be preferable to staying and not holding the corrupt accountable.”

During the press conference, Hanoun touched on various ongoing corruption investigations, including the Heist of the Century, which involves the embezzlement of tax deposits.

He alleged that Noor Zuhair forged 114 financial checks and should face equivalent punishment, accusing Zuhair of additional crimes, including the theft of 720 dunams of land in Shatt al-Arab.

Hanoun criticized the judiciary for detaining suspects for two years without trial and expressed frustration over the lack of progress in these cases. “We have 30 defendants in the tax deposit case, and their future remains uncertain,” he said.

The Commission of Integrity chief also challenged the Iraqi Parliament to prove whether the commission was yielding to corrupt influences or actively combating them. “The responsibility lies with Parliament to uncover the truth and hold those responsible for the missing funds accountable,” Hanoun said.

Hanoun’s visit to Erbil included participation in a ceremony marking the release of the first report on implementing the anti-corruption strategy in the Kurdistan Region. In a speech during the event, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani blamed political interference for obstructing anti-corruption efforts.