March 18, 2003 Saddam Hussein He ordered his son Qusay to withdraw from the Iraqi central bank the sum of a billion dollars in cash: Iraq was about to be invaded by the armed forces of United States And the dictator wanted to take the money before the enemies came. Two thirds of the money were found by the Americans in the following months, the other 350 million disappeared, removed by Qusay Hussein, it would be what is sometimes called “the largest robbery in history”. But it was really a robbery or Did he deal with a legitimate act?
The context: the second Gulf War
The “robbery” is in the context of the Second War of the Gulf (also known as “War in Iraq”). In 2003 the United States of America, together with the United Kingdom and other allies, invaded Iraq which was governed by Saddam Hussein. It was not the first time that Saddam’s Iraq faced the United States: in 1990 the dictator had ordered to occupy the Kuwait and, consequently, Iraq had undergone the attack of an international American -guided coalition, which had forced the Iraqi forces to retire. Had been the First Gulf Warfollowing which Saddam, although defeated, had remained in power. After the attacks of 11 September 2001, the United States decided to invade the country againaccusing him of supporting terrorism and possessing weapons of mass destruction.
In reality, although the Saddam government was in fact a dictatorship, Iraq had no connection with the attacks nor had mass destruction weapons. The war aroused controversy on and was contested on a significant part of the public opinion, according to which the President of the United States, George W. Bushwould have unleashed her only to appropriate the Iraqi oil. The protests, however, did not stop Bush and on the morning of March 20, 2003 the military operations began.
How the “robbery” happened
The “robbery” took place on the evening of March 18, when the American attack was already looming. Qusay Husseinson and close collaborator of Saddam, presented himself to Iraqi Central Bankin Baghdad, with a manuscript ticket of the father. The ticket contained the order to withdraw a billion dollars in cash, equal to approximately A quarter of the country’s reserves. The money withdrawal operation took place under the eyes of Qusay and other political officials. The money was loaded on three trucks and brought to an unknown destination.
About 650 million were recovered In the following weeks by the American Armed Forces, who in the meantime had invaded Iraq and forced Saddam to escape from Baghdad. The money was hidden in a building used by UDAY HUSSEINanother son of the dictator. The other 350 million have never been found, certainly, however, were not used by Saddam or his children: Qusay and UDAY were killed in an air raid on 22 July 2003; Saddam was captured in the following December, subjected to trial and executed in 2006.
But was it really a robbery?
Sometimes the withdrawal made by Qusay is considered the “bigger robbery in history“, Since in no other case has such a high figure of cash has been subtracted. Many pages circulate on the net that I support this thesis. However, the withdrawal of money made by Qusay Hussein It wasn’t a robbery In the classic sense of the term: no bandits with balaclavas and gun, but a government official with a written order of the president. Saddam was in fact the legitimate leader of the Iraqi government, with almost absolute powers, and he could have money kept by the central bank.
Furthermore, the purpose for which he had taken the money is not known and it is not certain that he intended to appropriate it: according to the Americans, he meant escape and bring the money with him, but, according to another theory, he wanted to use it for finance resistance against the invasion. In any case, a third of the money has disappeared and nobody knows what happened to it.
