Co-authored with UNDP, the judiciary launches the second anti-corruption report

Baghdad - INA

The United Nations Development Program launched the session of the program to follow up on trials for major corruption cases, the second report for the year 2023-2024, which is the project to combat corruption and enhance commercial arbitration today, Saturday, in Baghdad. It is a program implemented in partnership between the United Nations Development Program and the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council and funded by the European Union.

In this regard, the head of the Public Prosecution Office, Najm Abdullah, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "This report, which is an extension of the first similar report that was previously launched earlier in 2024, summarizes the progress achieved in the field of trial procedures in corruption cases, in addition to shedding light on the challenges that still exist, and it represents a very important step, as it reflects the pivotal role played by the Iraqi judiciary in pursuing and trying those involved in corruption cases."

He added that "the cooperation with the Development Program comes in the context of developing the agreement with the United Nations to combat corruption by providing consultations and recommendations and developing plans and programs to support the judiciary in the field of combating corruption crimes," noting that "the report, with its statistics and data, shed light on some aspects that had a valuable impact on the success of the program in its first year, so that this success would extend to the second year by adopting transparency in following up on the progress of trials and evaluating judicial performance professionally and objectively."

He explained that "the report showed the extent of close cooperation between the Supreme Judicial Council and the United Nations Program, which reflects the commitment of both parties to achieving the common goal of combating corruption and improving the performance of courts in accordance with international standards."

In the same context, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program, Auke Lootsma, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "Iraq has succeeded in combating corruption cases and conducting investigations that led to the discovery of those responsible for their occurrence."

He added that "the United Nations Mission in Iraq recorded a significant increase in the number of investigations and convictions on corruption charges, which indicates the seriousness of the government in combating corruption and holding those responsible for committing violations accountable."

He added that "the United Nations Development Program launched a project funded by the European Union, which aims to train Iraqi investigators to uncover and deal with corruption operations." He explained that "the project aims to train investigators in the Integrity Commission and judicial bodies affiliated with the Supreme Judicial Council and build their capacities to uncover corruption hotspots and track down those involved in them."