SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Unknown persons robbed a van of more than $84 million in Sulaimani, stealing the salaries of the city’s health employees on Tuesday.
“We ensure the medics and employees of Shar Hospital that their salaries will not vanish and they will be happy with the decision of the payment of salaries without the [salary savings system] — just like other civil servants,” Rekawt Hamarashid, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health minister, told Rudaw.
He claimed that the Sulaimani security forces will capture the “stingy robbers as soon as possible.”
Sources in Sulaimani told Rudaw the amount is greater than 1 billion Iraqi dinars ($84 million).
On a busy street, gunmen reportedly stopped a van transporting the salaries to a bank.
“A Sulaimani Health vehicle transporting salaries of employees from Rashid Bank was stopped by a vehicle on Tuesday on a road between Orzdi and Ibrahim Pasha Streets and the money was stolen,” a police source told Xendan.
The fates of driver of the van and two bank employees are unknown.
The stolen money belongs to the employees of public Shar Hospital, Rudaw has learned.
KRG’s Ministry of Finance stated they are waiting for the results of an investigation, and then they will make a decision the future of the case.
Update: 7:31 p.m.
Clarification: A previous version of this story put the money stolen at 2 billion dinars. Sources familiar with the matter told Rudaw on Tuesday night that the amount exceeds 1 billion.
