Shafaqna English- The head of the Anti-Corruption and Arbitration Enhancement Project at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) expressed optimism about Baghdad’s efforts, stressing that the Iraqi government has begun making positive progress in pursuing and recovering assets smuggled out of the country.
Yama Torabi, Project Manager for Anti-Corruption at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said on Sunday that Iraq’s systematic efforts to combat administrative and financial corruption are advancing, and that the country’s new approach to recovering national assets is moving in the right direction.
According to Middle East News, citing the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Torabi said that the Iraqi government, led by the Supreme Judicial Council and other relevant institutions, has taken significant steps in the fight against corruption.
Referring to Baghdad’s shift in priorities, he added that previous efforts to recover stolen assets had not been comprehensive or systematic. However, the issue has recently become one of the government’s main priorities, with the goal of returning looted assets and funds to Iraq.
He noted that UNDP assessments indicate a tangible improvement in the government’s implementation of asset recovery measures, and that current efforts are moving in the right direction. Nevertheless, despite this progress, the measures taken are still insufficient, and much work remains to be done.
Torabi further explained that the recommendations contained in the Trial Monitoring Programme report identify more than 12 key areas for improving the process of recovering stolen assets. He said this requires decisive decisions and actions, beginning with the development of a fully transparent strategy for implementing the approved mechanisms.
He concluded by positively assessing the Iraqi government’s overall performance in this area, emphasizing that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is fully prepared to support Iraq through technical advice and legal and institutional capacity-building.
Source: Middle East News