Baghdad: The head of the Federal Integrity Commission, Mohammed Ali al-Lami, emphasized on Sunday the importance of strengthening international cooperation in asset recovery and the extradition of those wanted in corruption cases. He affirmed that pursuing and recovering smuggled funds is a cornerstone of national efforts to combat corruption. In a statement issued by the Integrity Commission and received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), al-Lami stressed that “Iraq needs to recover its smuggled funds from abroad to replenish the state treasury and utilize it to support reconstruction and development projects.” He further emphasized “the importance of strengthening international cooperation in asset recovery and the extradition of those wanted in corruption cases, within the framework of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.”
According to Iraqi News Agency, the head of the Integrity Commission, during his meeting with the Swiss Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq, Daniel Hunn, on the occasion of the end of his diplomatic mission in Baghdad, emphasized the importance of continued cooperation between Iraq and Switzerland in the areas of preventing, combating, and fighting corruption, and in consolidating integrity and transparency in state institutions. He also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation mechanisms and the exchange of legal assistance between the two countries, particularly in cases related to recovering the proceeds of corruption and extraditing those wanted for justice.
He pointed out that “pursuing and recovering smuggled funds is a fundamental pillar of national efforts to combat corruption,” noting “the necessity of activating the international cooperation mechanisms established by the United Nations Convention against Corruption. This would contribute to narrowing the safe havens for funds obtained from corruption crimes and those wanted for committing them, and to returning these funds to their countries of origin.”
Al-Lami praised the cooperation shown by Daniel Hunn during his tenure as Swiss Ambassador to Iraq, expressing his aspiration to continue developing relations and coordination between the two countries in the oversight and legal fields, and wishing the ambassador success in his future duties.
For his part, the Swiss ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to continue providing support to Iraq, especially to its oversight institutions in their efforts to track down corrupt individuals and recover funds obtained from corruption crimes, stressing support for efforts aimed at consolidating the principles of integrity, transparency, and the rule of law, given their impact on providing a safe and attractive environment for investment and enhancing confidence in state institutions.