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22:57 GMT
WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (KUNA) -- The United States and the United Kingdom are co-hosting a forum aimed at combating money-laundering at the World Bank headquarters on December 4-6.
The forum aims to facilitate the recovery of stolen assets from four countries - Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and Ukraine - by bringing together more than 150 law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and financial center representatives from over 20 countries, the State Department said on Monday.
In his opening remarks this afternoon, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions acknowledged progress that's been made in targeting corruption around the world, and advocated for further corporations saying, "Much has been done and we must do our work in a shared fashion."
The forum, which was established at the 2016 London Anti-Corruption Summit, offers a "unique opportunity to bring together investigators, prosecutors, judges, policy-makers and civil society organizations so that we can learn from one another, build relationships that's so critical to us all," Sessions noted.
He restated US commitment to target kleptocratic regimes and to prevent corruption before it starts.
Separately, the State Department announced that, alongside the US Agency for International Development (USAID), it would support "a wide range of foreign assistance programming to counter corruption, including: building capacity of foreign governments to create stronger laws and more effective institutions; investing in the ability of civil society and journalists to hold governments accountable; supporting investigations and prosecutions, for corruption offenses; and promoting measures to prevent corruption, foster oversight, and promote government integrity and transparency." (end)
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