Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim

Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-Azzawi
Born	1933
Died	2012-01-27
Occupation(s)	Politician, Economist
Known for	Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Minister of Finance of Iraq

Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-Azzawi (1933 – January 27, 2012) was a prominent Iraqi political figure who held the position of Deputy Prime Minister and served twice as Minister of Finance during Saddam Hussein's regime.

An economist by training, Azzawi faced arrest in 1960 due to his opposition to General Abd al-Karim Qasim's administration. He became a member of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 1968 and was appointed undersecretary of state for Commerce. After being removed from all governmental posts and expelled from the party in 1982, he assumed the role of Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq in 1985. In 1987, he was publicly disgraced and dismissed after refusing to comply with a directive to transfer funds requested by one of Saddam Hussein’s relatives.

Saddam later reinstated him as Minister of Finance in 1995, and in July 1999, he received the honorary designation of Deputy Prime Minister. Following the 2003 invasion led by the United States, Azzawi appeared as number 45 (8 of Diamonds) on the Iraqi most-wanted playing cards. On April 19, 2003, Iraqi police apprehended him without resistance in Baghdad and subsequently turned him over to U.S. forces.

He passed away while incarcerated at the age of 79, reportedly due to an absence of necessary heart medication; cancer was also mentioned as a contributing cause.