Nazaha cooperates with all agencies to combat corruption -- Official

KUWAIT, July 24 (KUNA) -- Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) on Sunday reaffirmed keenness of the State of Kuwait on working with other government and non-government organizations to combat corruption and track down corrupt people.
Nazaha spares no effort in preventing the risks of corruption and retrieving usurped public funds through cooperation with all concerned agencies inside and outside Kuwait, Nawaf Al-Mehmel, deputy chairman of the anti-graft agency, said.
He made the comments in a speech to a workshop on "probing, tracking down and retrieving stolen funds." The event, co-organized by Nazaha and Kuwait Association for Protecting Public Funds, gathered representatives of local and international government and non-government organizations as well as embassies in Kuwait of friendly nations.
Al-Mehmel stressed the need of raising the public awareness about the importance of the combat against corruption.
On her part, Nisreen Rubaian, Resident Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the State of Kuwait, said the UN agencies play an active role in combating all forms of corruption pursuant to the relevant international conventions.
The UN agencies believe that the combat against corruption is crucial for protection of public funds and has to do with human rights, she pointed out.
The UN efforts to address corruption are clearly evident in the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR), she said, adding that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) maintains cooperation with the World Bank group in this regard.
Rubaian praised Kuwait's trailblazing role in the fight against corruption under wise instructions of the country's leadership. Meanwhile, Fahad Al-Nasser, treasurer of Kuwait Association for Protecting Public Funds, thanked Nazaha for hosting and sponsoring the workshop and establishing direct channels of contact with the competent government bodies.
"The workshop is part of the efforts to raise public awareness about, and involving the civil society and the state institutions in, the combat against corruption," he said, noting that such efforts are in keeping with the objectives of the UNCAC and the provisions of the founding act of Nazaha.
Al-Nasser called on the civil society to shoulder their responsibilities and work with the relevant institutions to restore stolen assets and benefit from successful experiences of other countries in this regard. (end) ays.kda.gb