Baghdad The United Nations Development Program, kicked off in cooperation with the Supreme Judicial Council and the Embassy of the United States of America, Tuesday, the training initiative (Investigations into Complex Financial Crimes in Iraq), which extends for several years with the aim of strengthening and improving the investigation process of complex and organized financial crimes in Iraq.

The launch of the program was attended by the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Faiq Zaidan, the President of the Integrity Commission, Judge Alaa Jawad, the President of the Federal Financial Supervision Bureau Ravel Yassin, the President of the Integrity Commission in the Kurdistan Region, Judge Ahmed Anwar, the US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller and Zina Ali Ahmed, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program in Iraq, the Deputy Chief of the Public Prosecution Authority, Judge Dari Jabr, and a number of judges and senior officers from the Ministry of Interior.

The project aims to enhance the efficiency of investigative judges in leading and conducting investigations into complex organized and financial crimes such as money laundering, corruption and illicit financing and to improve the policies and procedures for investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

The President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Faiq Zaidan, stressed during the conference that the goal of the program is to strengthen the procedures and work of investigative judges to deal with and lead the investigations of complex financial crimes, in close cooperation with colleagues from the investigative bodies represented by the Integrity Commission, the Financial Supervision Bureau and the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Office, The Central Bank and the relevant investigation directorates in the Ministry of Interior.

He explained that this project is the result of long discussions, as we have previously stressed the importance of developing investigation procedures by the supervisory and competent authorities.

He pointed out that anti-corruption efforts depend on the investigation body to present evidence and punish the perpetrators in a way that enhances the sovereignty of the state and the law, stressing that the Supreme Judicial Council strongly supports and participates in this project.

For his part, US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller stressed Iraq’s need for effective tools and policies to support the investigation of financial crimes and the prosecution of their perpetrators, because the motive behind the majority of these criminal crimes is personal enrichment at the expense of the Iraqi state and the people.

The ambassador added that the US State Department is pleased to fund this assessment, which was implemented by the United Nations Development Program to identify the reality of investigative capabilities in financial crimes in Iraq, as the assessment helped establish the training program and was useful in formulating guidelines for financial investigation techniques for the benefit of judges and investigators.

For her part, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program in Iraq, Zina, stressed that this program demonstrates the complexity of organized financial crimes such as corruption, money laundering and the illegal accumulation of wealth, which contribute to creating an atmosphere of illegal privileges and injustice.

She added that these crimes constitute a major obstacle to economic recovery, stability and development in Iraq.

She stressed that the United Nations Development Program is ready to work side by side with the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq and other institutions to help put an end to these crimes, extending thanks to the US State Department for funding this important initiative.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency