Iraq takes part in a global law enforcement conference against corruption

INA-  Baghdad


Judge Haider Hanoun, the head of the Federal Integrity Commission, urged international cooperation on Tuesday to combat corruption and deny its perpetrators safe havens and escape from justice. He also warned of legal differences between nations that permit the corrupt to evade justice and emphasized that holding the corrupt accountable is a shared international responsibility.  

"The Republic of Iraq, represented by the Federal Integrity Commission, participated in the fifth general meeting of Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network) held in the Chinese capital, Beijing," according to a statement from the Integrity Commission that the Iraqi News Agency (INA) obtained.

Commissioner Haider Hanoun advocated for "concluding international understandings and agreements that prevent those accused and convicted of corruption crimes from exploiting legal disparities between countries to escape punishment" during his speech at the high-level forum held on the meeting's fringe.

According to Hanoun, "these agreements should be based on principles, the most important of which are: information sharing, mutual legal assistance, recovery of stolen assets and their return to corrupted countries, and international legal cooperation in the field of law enforcement."

He stressed "the importance of holding all those involved in corruption, regardless of their geographical locations or the place where the crimes were committed, to ensure that international justice is served." 

In order to further their causes, the meeting will address regulatory issues, establish the principle of denying safe haven for corruption, collaborate investigative teams, and give GlobE network members, observers, and other participants a chance to engage in formal meetings as well as bilateral and multilateral informal discussions on practical and strategic issues. This will include setting up ad hoc meetings outside of the plenary session that will take place within the framework of the Global Forum for Asset Recovery (GFAR) work chain. 

In order to provide anti-corruption workers with the training, strategies, knowledge, resources, and tools necessary to pursue, investigate, and prosecute cross-border corruption cases through secure communication channels, the Global Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Operations Network (GlobE Network) was established as a comprehensive platform on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session against Corruption 2021.