ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The recently passed general amnesty law in Iraq will pardon one of the main culprits of Iraq’s infamous Heist of the Century, a lawmaker said on Tuesday.

The amnesty law would pardon former parliament member Haitham Ramadan Abdul Ghani, more commonly known as Haitham al-Jubouri, according to an official document issued by the Presidency of the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court in Baghdad, which was posted on Facebook by by MP Jassim al-Khafaji on Tuesday.

“We kindly request your esteemed presidency to approach the Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office to inform them that the fugitive convict (Haitham Ramadan Abdul Ghani)… has been included in the General Amnesty Law No. 27 of 2016,” read the document addressed to Baghdad’s appellate court.

In his Facebook post, Khafaji slammed the decision.

“One of the public money thieves has been granted amnesty out of hundreds who will be included,” Khafaji said. “We were not supported when we demanded that the law be reinforced against these mercenaries who stole the people's money, and we were accused of being against the innocent and the oppressed.”

The Heist of the Century, the largest corruption scandal in Iraq’s modern history, involves the embezzlement of $2.5 billion from tax funds between September 2021 and August 2022, facilitated by 247 checks issued by five companies. The case was brought to public attention following an investigation by the Iraqi finance ministry in October 2022.

 The Anti-Corruption Criminal Court in Baghdad issued an arrest warrant for Jubouri in August 2024 who was implicated in the heist.

The general amnesty law redefines the concept of affiliation to terrorism, through which the cases of many in Iraq will become easier to resolve. The law could save the lives of scores of innocent people from the country’s prisons, but could also lead to the release of the guilty, too, if not implemented properly.

Following its ratification by Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, the law was published in the Iraqi Official Gazette on February 18, officially launching into effect its implementation.