Baghdad to host 2028 OIC anti-corruption meeting
Shafaq News- Baku
Baghdad will host the fourth ministerial meeting of anti-corruption law enforcement authorities from member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 2028, the head of Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity, Mohammed Ali al-Lami, announced on Thursday.
Speaking at the Third Ministerial Meeting of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities, which opened in Baku, al-Lami warned that corruption now rivals drug trafficking and terrorism in its cross-border reach. “Tackling cross-border corruption requires serious cooperation between states so that fugitives and smuggled funds find no safe haven,” he said.
He cited the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Convention as an important framework for anti-corruption cooperation among OIC states, saying it could speed up information-sharing, investigations, and legal assistance, as well as the pursuit of offenders and the recovery of stolen assets. He expressed hope that it would become a common framework for Islamic countries in this field.
The commission has signed 14 memorandums of understanding and joined specialized international networks and initiatives to broaden cooperation on recovering funds and pursuing fugitives, al-Lami said. He also outlined an Iraqi initiative to set up funds to manage corruption proceeds and recovered assets and channel them into development projects and said the Iraqi Academy for Combating Corruption plans to admit students from abroad to its higher diploma program.
