Iraq says two suspects in refinery contracts case fled to France with nearly $500 million

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Interior Minister Mustafa Sunn said two suspects wanted in the "refinery contracts" case fled to France carrying roughly half a billion US dollars, according to a statement posted on his social media account. Sunn said the two departed together, identifying one as the brother of an Economic Committee official linked to a detained undersecretary, and that the men had taken about $500 million in cash out of the country. The minister added that Prime Minister Ali Salih al-Jaafari is pressing for the suspects' extradition and the recovery of the funds through international legal channels. Sunn did not provide further details on the alleged transfers or how the money was transported. Separately, an independent outlet reporting on the case said Iraqi courts have issued Interpol red notices for Hasan al-Kirdi and Mohammed al-Kirdi as part of the refinery probe. The same report, citing sources familiar with the matter, said the Kirdi brothers were already abroad when a third suspect, Adnan al-Jumaili, was detained in connection with the same file. According to those sources, Hasan al-Kirdi is among the most sought figures in the case for his alleged direct role in managing a "commissions file" tied to refinery contracts, and is said to have moved millions of dollars abroad through a complex financial network operating outside Iraq. No further details on the alleged network or the total sums involved were immediately available.