BAGHDAD, Iraq - The International Conference of the Stolen Money Recovery was convened on Wednesday to discuss how to recover stolen funds from Iraq, with the Minister of Justice and high-ranking officials from eleven countries attending.
There are different estimates regarding the amount of stolen money from Iraq during the past eighteen years, but government and parliamentary investigations have put the figure at more than $300 billion.
According to the Iraqi Commission of Integrity, 157 decisions have been made on cases of stolen money without the presence of the complainee and 217 cases have been completed and will be sent to other countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recover the stolen money.
“These countries should take the legal measures they are responsible for within the framework of international agreements, and work from a moral and human duty to return stolen money and to identify and hand over the criminals,” said Alaa Jawad, head of the Integrity Commission.
Iraq's presidency has submitted a draft law to the parliament to recover the stolen funds. The Ministry of Justice and the Commission of Integrity have formed a committee to negotiate with these countries about recovering the stolen money.
“The Ministry of Justice is investigating this dossier in cooperation with the Commission of Integrity of Iraq. We can recover these funds by adhering to the legal and judicial measures as well as with the help of the ministries of those countries that are part of the Arab League and present at the conference today,” said Minister of Justice Salar Abdul Sattar.
According to an investigation by the committee of the integrity of the Iraqi parliament, most of the stolen money has been exported to Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. A report from the office of financial monitoring says $147 million has been exported to Egypt in less than a year. The Egyptian government says proving and taking legal measures is the only way to recover the money.
After the US invasion in 2003, corruption and misused funds have been obstacles that have prevented Iraq from offering a decent life to its people. Many neighborhoods and areas are still without basic services.
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed
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