Iraq Joins Egmont Group To Combat Money Laundering

Iraq has been granted membership of the Egmont Group , which focuses on exchanging information among financial investigation units combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

The vote took place during the group's 29th general meeting in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in Baghdad/Al-Karkh, Judge Diaa Jaafar, and the Director-General of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Office, Nizar Nasser Hussein.

Iraq's request for membership was submitted earlier and was followed by an assessment of the legislative and operational framework employed by the Supreme Judicial Council, the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Office, and other relevant entities, as well as a field visit.

With Iraq's inclusion, the number of member countries in the group has reached 170.

The Egmont Group supports member countries by enhancing secure communication among financial investigation units and facilitating secure interconnectivity through the Egmont Secure Web (ESW) platform, which enables information exchange among all 170 member countries. This aids in tracking criminal funds and individuals under investigation directly and securely. It provides judges with investigative tools to uncover crimes, recover funds, and apprehend criminals.

(Source: SJC)

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