Libya: Working to face corruption and money-laundering challenges

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Cairo, Egypt - 26 October 2021

Corruption and money laundering undermine  economic and social economic development affecting especially fragile and post-conflict settings. Effective enforcement of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, appropriate operational oversight of institutions and adequate mechanism for inter-agency collaboration can stop such crimes. With such vision, UNODC works with the State of Libya to support national authorities in their endeavors to prevent and combat corruption and money-laundering over the past years.

Within the framework of the European Union (EU) funded project “Building Libya’s National Capacity to Prevent and Combat Corruption and Money Laundering”, UNODC organized an advanced training workshop, in collaboration with the Egyptian Administrative Control Authority (ACA)’s training arm, the Egyptian Anti-Corruption Academy on “Investigating and Prosecuting Cases of Corruption and Money Laundering” for 13 Libyan public officials. The project is implemented by UNODC and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and is complementary to other initiatives financed by the European Union aimed at improving governance of national and local institutions, to contribute to fair and transparent management of public funds in Libya.

Due to the elusive nature of corruption and money-laundering, authorities may face many challenges when trying to counter both crimes. Such challenges relate to the social awareness of the existence of such crimes, the detection of such occurrences, the methods and process of investigation, and the road to effective prosecution. To support authorities in facing such challenges, the sessions focused on using practical cases with attention to their legal and operation components.

Furthermore, the participants were introduced to the strategic and tactical analysis techniques in detecting and investigating the crimes of money-laundering, relevant international instruments on combating corruption and money laundering, in addition to the challenges faced in tracing and confiscating proceeds from corruption crimes.

“I found the sessions very useful and they revealed a good deal of insights about the field of anti-corruption and more specifically Anti Money laundering relations. I also had the opportunity to exchange thoughts and experience on current issues in Anti-Corruption cases and its prosecution,” one of the participants commented.

By the end of the training, participants affirmed that the practical cases shared contributed to a better understanding of the legal and operational challenges that they face at the national, regional and international levels.

For more information:

United Nations Convention against Corruption

Press Release: The European Union, UNODC, and UNICRI jointly launch project to prevent and combat corruption and money laundering in Libya

UNODC's Action against Corruption and Economic Crime

Corruption and COVID-19