Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit asserted that corruption is hampering the development process in most world countries.
He made the remarks on Tuesday during the inauguration of the 5th Session of Conference of States Parties to the Arab Anti-Corruption Convention held in Cairo.
Abul Gheit underlined support for the Palestinians in the face of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and forced displacement.
The Arab Anti-Corruption Convention is an Arab regional convention that aims to activate Arab and international efforts in combatting corruption and facilitating international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting corruption crimes. The Convention also encourages individuals and civil society to actively participate in preventing and combating corruption.
The Convention criminalizes the forms of corruption, such as bribery in the public and private sectors, abuse of power, illicit enrichment, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
In addition, it also focuses on law enforcement cooperation between its state parties, that is through information exchange on corruption crimes, conducting investigations, providing technical assistance and holding training workshops.
The Convention was concluded in Cairo in the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2010 at the League of Arab States. It was approved by the Councils of Arab Interior and Justice Ministers in the joint meeting held at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo in the same year. It entered into force on 29/6/2013 after ratification by seven Arab countries.
