Iraq, China sign MoU on combating corruption and pursuing wanted persons
The Chairman of the Federal Integrity Commission, Judge Haider Hanoun, during the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding, pointed out that the agreements and signing of memoranda of understanding between Iraq and China are very important, especially since the Chinese side invests in several sectors in Iraq and its companies need a safe environment for investment free from extortion and bribery, pointing to the Iraqi government’s support for openness to Chinese institutions as it falls within the state’s policies that are open to China and urge the conclusion of understandings with it, especially in the economic aspect.
He added that the Commission needs the expertise of the Chinese National Supervisory Committee, and to benefit from its experience in the field of combating corruption, supporting and enhancing the expertise of the Commission’s employees, and supporting the Republic of Iraq in its serious steps towards digital transformation by training the staff of the Iraqi supervisory bodies, and developing their expertise in this field, indicating the importance of cooperation and coordination of positions in international forums, especially in the field of recovering funds and extraditing wanted persons.
For his part, the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese National Supervisory Committee, Fu Kui, called on the Iraqi side to work together to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative (Silk Road), and to ensure a transparent and clean work environment, and to try to harmonize the Belt and Road Initiative for development, noting that the relationship between China and Iraq is a strategic relationship and is in continuous development, praising the outcomes of the summit that brought together the Chinese and Iraqi leaderships on the sidelines of the Arab-Chinese Partnership Conference.
He stressed that China is keen to implement the understandings reached by President Xi Jinping with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and to deepen the level of relations and partnership between the two countries, hoping that cooperation between the Iraqi Integrity Commission and the Chinese National Oversight Committee will contribute to enabling them to strike the corrupt and limit the effects of the cross-border scourge of corruption.
The MoU between the two parties aims to unify efforts to promote the integrity building of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, which includes commitment to the concept of openness, green development and integrity, and jointly build a clean Silk Road based on the Beijing Silk Road Initiative, and enhance cooperation in the field of judicial enforcement, which includes providing information and assistance on cross-border corruption cases, as well as implementing practical cooperation between the two parties on persons wanted on corruption charges and asset recovery, within the limits of their jurisdiction and in accordance with their respective national legislation.
The MoU also aims to exchange legislative and academic information and expertise, build capacity through workshops, lectures and training on topics of mutual interest, and deepen coordination and cooperation, including joint promotion of issues and initiatives to expand consensus on denying safe havens to corrupt individuals, within multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
Shafaq.com