SJC confirms intensive efforts to recover funds derived from corruption offences

 Baghdad-INA
Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) confirmed on Thursday,  that intensive efforts are being made to recover funds obtained from corruption crimes, and while noting that this scourge increases rates of poverty and unemployment, undermines development opportunities and obstructs the work of democratic institutions, it stressed the importance of reforming the system of legal legislation related to combating corruption.

Representative of the Supreme Judicial Council and Deputy President of the Baghdad Al-Rusafa Court of Appeal, Judge Iyad Mohsen Damad, confirmed in a speech he delivered on behalf of the President of the Judicial Council, Faiq Zidan, during a celebration held by the European Union mission on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day and attended by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reporter, that “corruption affects... "It will negatively affect all aspects of life, and the damage will affect all state institutions and most segments of society."

He added, "Corruption increases rates of poverty and unemployment, undermines development opportunities, increases risks to individual and social peace, as well as obstructs the work of democratic institutions, reduces opportunities for women's empowerment and freedom of expression of opinion through the absence of equality and transparency, and hinders efforts to create opportunities for the rule of law."

Representative of SJC  pointed out, "Corruption at the present time is the most important and dangerous challenge facing the Iraqi state," explaining, "The Council was keen to strengthen all efforts being made in combating financial and administrative corruption, whether through the formation of central courts specialized in combating corruption, such as the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court or by supporting the efforts of investigative judges to complete cases at the investigation stage, collect evidence, and uncover those involved in the theft of public money in preparation for referring them to the competent courts and then imposing the legally specified penalties, which was clearly demonstrated through the cases heard by the courts for which they issued condemnation decisions and imposed deterrent penalties."

He pointed out that “the Supreme Judicial Council, through its competent courts and in cooperation with official institutions, has intensified efforts to recover funds obtained from corruption crimes and their sources and deposit them in the public treasury, through high coordination between the courts, the Integrity Commission, the Financial Supervision Bureau, and the anti-money laundering courts,” pointing out, "These efforts resulted in the issuance of a guide for international cooperation in the field of recovering corruption funds, as well as the issuance of a guide for managing confiscated funds, and also the issuance of a guide for investigating financial crimes that judges and investigators use when investigating files of financial and administrative corruption."

Damad continued, "The Supreme Judicial Council attaches the utmost importance to following up on cases of financial and administrative corruption and stresses the importance of reforming the system of legal legislation related to combating corruption and illicit gain and the necessity of making amendments to ensure coverage of all criminal forms and enabling the tracking and recovery of financial proceeds and addressing all deficiencies in the laws it also emphasizes following modern methodologies in managing state institutions, using electronic management systems, graphic linking between departments, and automating information, so that courts can obtain the information required to complete investigations with the necessary speed."

He concluded, "We must praise all international efforts that provide support and assistance to the Iraqi state in combating corruption through international and regional organizations, especially the European Union mission," expressing his hope that this gathering on the occasion of Corruption Day will achieve the goals set for it and that the coming years will witness improvement in the field of evaluating the Iraqi state on the Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International."