LocationsHow UNDP is Supporting Iraq to Investigate, Prosecute and Try Financial Crime Cases.
Together Against Financial Crime
May 30, 2024
Since 2021, UNDP has trained more than 2,000 officials on investigating and prosecuting and adjudicating complex and organized financial crimes including corruption, illicit enrichment, and money laundering crimes across Iraq. More than 700 Judges benefited from interactive workshops led by UNDP experts in which practical case examples were discussed. All of the workshops are interactive and tailored to the needs of the participants; they promote collaborative approaches where participants jointly solve real case examples. What began as an initiative to conduct Financial Investigations workshops has evolved into a viable networking hub for judges and prosecutors from across Iraq and we are proud to see the popularity of the workshops.
UNDP’s signature trainings the Judicial Workshops, stand out for their vivid debate on practical approaches to trying complex criminal cases, driving meaningful change and improvement in financial crime investigations. The impact of these workshops has been far-reaching, creating a community of practice that supports and strengthens the judiciary's role in combating corruption and anti-money laundering. Some of those positive results have been shared and documented personally by judges and prosecutors across Iraq.
Iraqi women judges participating in one of UNDP’s workshops in Erbil.
These Financial Investigation workshops and training sessions are instrumental in shaping the future of financial crime enforcement in Iraq. They provide judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers with the necessary tools and knowledge to conduct thorough financial investigations, tracing the origins of assets, identifying beneficiaries, documenting the movement of assets associated with criminal activities, and ultimately forfeit the assets for the benefit of the citizens. This holistic approach is crucial for building a comprehensive framework, potentially digital, that can effectively combat money laundering and illegal financing.
Another example of the project’s achievement has been the Handbook for Enhancing Financial Investigations and Upholding the Rule of Law. which was launched in November 2023. It has been co-created by 11 institutions collaborating on financial crimes cases.
The success of the project and its knowledge products is also a testament to the strong partnership between the UNDP and the Iraqi agencies, which are the Supreme Judicial Council, the Judicial Council of the KRI, the Ministry of Justice/Public Prosecution Agency of the KRI, the Federal Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Interior of the KRI, the Federal Commission of Integrity, the Commission of Integrity of the KRI, the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, the Board of Supreme Audit of the KRI, the National Security Service, the Assayish Agency of the KRI and the AML-CFT Office of the Central Bank of Iraq, with the invaluable support of the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. This collaborative effort underscores the importance of a united front in addressing financial crime and enhancing the capacity of the Iraqi judicial system.
Our work on building robust justice and law enforcement in Iraq for more integrity will continue.