Baghdad-INA
The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) in Iraq, Titon Mitra, affirmed on Saturday that Iraq has made progress in documenting the financial dimension of corruption cases, stressing that protecting public funds and consolidating the rule of law are two pillars for Iraq’s stability and sustainable development.
Speaking at the launch of the Trial Monitoring Programme report, attended by a correspondent from the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Mitra said, "The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) expresses its sincere appreciation to its national partners for their trust, cooperation, and commitment. The Trial Monitoring Programme is based on this spirit of partnership and shared dedication to promoting transparency and constructive dialogue."
He added, "UNDP also thanks the European Union for its steadfast financial and strategic support for the Anti-Corruption and Arbitration for Environmental Justice Initiatives project, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening the rule of law and achieving tangible results that benefit the Iraqi people."
He pointed out that "these efforts are gaining special importance with the launch of the new government session, which represents a real opportunity to move from commitment to implementation, especially since the government program placed asset recovery among the priorities of reform in the field of combating corruption," indicating that " Prime Minister issued an order on May 30, 2026 to form the Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight and Recovery of Public Funds."
Mitra explained that the report poses a pivotal question: "How can accountability lead to asset recovery?" He emphasized that "a criminal conviction in major corruption cases is essential, but it is not enough on its own, as citizens look forward to actually recovering public funds for the state treasury."
He pointed out that the report deals with asset recovery as an integrated series of procedures that begin with identifying financial damage and tracking assets, passing through seizure, freezing, confiscation, compensation and enforcement, and reaching cross-border cooperation,” noting that “its main conclusion confirms that Iraq possesses important legal tools, while the priority lies in applying them more systematically and strengthening institutional coordination.”
He added that “the report transforms judicial practice into practical evidence by highlighting the strengths of the recovery process, identifying weaknesses, and indicating areas where targeted support can contribute to achieving more effective results,” noting that “the report showed that Iraq has made progress in documenting the financial dimension of corruption cases, as the number of cases that include explicit estimates of financial losses has increased over the past three years, ranging from limited amounts to cases where losses reached the level of trillions of dinars.”
He stressed that “improved documentation of losses has not been consistently reflected in enhanced asset recovery processes,” explaining that “the main challenge is to translate knowledge of the extent of the damage into quick and effective procedures for seizure, civil claims, compensation and enforcement.”
He noted that “the use of asset seizure procedures remains limited, although delays may lead to assets being moved, hidden, or removed from access before recovery measures are taken,” explaining that “the report calls for a shift from fragmented efforts to an integrated, coordinated, and data-driven system for asset recovery, by strengthening the link between criminal and civil procedures, institutionalizing civil litigation, improving mechanisms for early asset identification and preservation, and enhancing coordination among relevant institutions.”
The UNDP representative stressed "the importance of strengthening legal representation, clarifying the roles of the Public Prosecution, making better use of judicial expertise, improving case tracking systems, enhancing cross-border cooperation, as well as continuing to support transparency through financial disclosure systems and promoting women's participation in various aspects of the justice system," affirming "UNDP's readiness to continue supporting Iraqi institutions in all stages of asset recovery, including providing technical support in the areas of financial evidence, damage assessment, case preparation, as well as promoting the use of preventive tools."
He stated that "the report's message is clear: Iraq possesses the necessary legal and institutional foundations for effective asset recovery,The priority today is to make recovery processes more systematic, coordinated, and implementable," adding that "protecting public resources,
