The head of the Federal Integrity Commission, Dr. (Mohammed Ali Al-Lami), confirmed the importance of expanding international cooperation and activating the mechanisms and bilateral memorandums of understanding called for by the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, particularly in the areas of recovering embezzled funds and assets and pursuing those involved in corruption cases.
Dr. Al-Lami explained, during his meeting with the Canadian ambassador to Iraq, (Juliet Gondi), at the Commission's headquarters, according to a statement received by the News Video Agency, that documenting the ties of cooperation between the Iraqi monitoring bodies and their Canadian counterparts represents an important tributary for national efforts to combat corruption, through the exchange of successful experiences and practices and developing the professional and investigative capacities of the monitoring staff, which enhances the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and contributes to preventing safe havens for funds and assets obtained from crimes.
The head of the Commission pointed out that the Iraqi monitoring bodies recently launched a campaign to pursue senior individuals involved in corruption cases, track down funds resulting from unjustified wealth accumulation, and work towards recovering them within the legal frameworks, noting that the success of these efforts requires effective international support, especially in the fields of mutual legal assistance, tracking and recovering embezzled funds and assets, and exchanging information and technical experiences, in addition to developing the capabilities of specialized personnel in investigating corruption crimes.
For her part, the Canadian ambassador to Iraq, (Juliet Gondi), affirmed her country's readiness to enhance cooperation with the Iraqi monitoring bodies and expand areas of joint coordination, particularly in the fields of training, qualification, and exchange of expertise, as well as developing legislation and legal systems concerned with preventing and combating corruption and recovering embezzled assets.
The ambassador praised the efforts made by the Federal Integrity Commission in pursuing those committing acts of corruption and infringing on public funds, and the recent campaign launched to track down senior individuals involved in corruption cases, emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation, coordination, and exchange of experiences between the two sides to support efforts aimed at promoting integrity and strengthening the rule of law.