Baghdad: A regional workshop focusing on ‘Parallel Financial Investigation in Corruption Crimes’ commenced today with participation from Arab nations including Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Palestine, Oman, and Jordan, alongside the Arab League Secretariat. The event, hosted at the Iraqi Academy for Combating Corruption in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), will continue until September 3.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Mohammed Ali Al-Lami, Chairman of the Federal Integrity Commission, emphasized that corruption has evolved into a cross-border crime posing a threat to sustainable development. He urged for reinforced Arab and international collaboration to prosecute offenders and recover stolen assets.

Imran Mohammed, a representative from the Arab League, pointed out that the primary goal of the workshop is to develop innovative financial investigation techniques and strengthen partnerships among relevant authorities. Essam Abdel Halim, Chairman of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission, highlighted the necessity of adopting effective strategies for tracing and recovering illicit funds, in alignment with international and Arab anti-corruption conventions.

Axel Klafack, GIZ Country Director, remarked that the workshop aims to support integrity and transparency, enhance national capabilities to combat money laundering, and reform financial systems. Moataz Al-Abbasi, Director of the Iraqi Academy, underscored the importance of exchanging expertise and developing parallel financial analysis tools to enhance the effectiveness of investigations and combat financial corruption.