The story: Iraqi authorities have arrested a key suspect implicated in the embezzlement of some 2.5B USD from state coffers. The massive corruption case has gained major traction on Iraqi social media, with the hashtag “heist_of_the_century” trending on Twitter. This comes amid reports of political pressure to release the suspect, and as Iran’s allies in Iraq are ramping up pressure on outgoing Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi—accusing him of involvement in the scandal.

The coverage: Iraq’s finance ministry on Oct. 10 stated that five companies had withdrawn some 3.7T IQD (2.5B USD) from its General Commission of Taxes account at the state-owned Rafidain Bank.

• The ministry noted that the five companies cashed 247 cheques from the government account between Sept. 2021 and Aug. 2022.

Judge Dhiya Jaafar of Baghdad’s Al-Karkh appeals court on Oct. 25 stated that Kadhimi advisor Haitham Al-Jubouri had been summoned...