Iraqi Communications Minister Mustafa Jabbar Sand confirmed in statements to Al Arabiya on Sunday that a businessman wanted in corruption cases has fled to France, carrying with him an estimated half a billion dollars.

Sources told the channel that the two brothers, Mohammed and Hassan al-Kurdi, were outside Iraq at the time of the arrest of Adnan al-Jumaili, as part of expanded investigations into corruption and financial crimes related to sensitive contracts.

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According to circulating reports, Hassan al-Kurdi is considered one of the most prominent young businessmen in Salah al-Din province, where he played a pivotal role in managing complex financial files linked to energy sector contracts, and his name has been associated with extensive behind-the-scenes influence in managing political and economic financing networks.

The sources added that the Iraqi judiciary issued international arrest warrants via Interpol for Hassan al-Kurdi and his brother Mohammed in what is known as the refineries case, amid accusations of managing commission files and illegal financial transfers, in addition to smuggling huge sums out of the country, noting that movements of Hassan al-Kurdi were monitored in a European country before he later disappeared.

In this context, the Iraqi Integrity Commission announced progress in recovering part of the smuggled funds abroad, affirming continued cooperation with Interpol and international law enforcement agencies, despite challenges related to the extradition of some wanted persons from different countries.

The Iraqi government stressed the continuation of its campaign to pursue those involved in cases of public money looting and suspicious deals, following the arrest of Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili and the subsequent uncovering of a wide network of corrupt individuals including officials and businessmen.

Legal estimates indicate that the amount of money looted from Iraq since 2003 may exceed two trillion dollars, in one of the largest financial corruption cases facing the country.