APEC Anti-Corruption Experts Gather in Pattaya City in a Bid to Foster Regional Cooperation in Recovering Proceeds of Corruption
22 September 2014 – Over 150 representatives from 15 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies participated in the “2nd APEC Capacity-Building Workshop on Designing Best Models on Prosecuting Corruption and Money Laundering Cases Using Financial Flow Tracking Techniques and Investigative Intelligence for Effective Conviction and Asset Recovery to Promote Regional Economic Integration” in Pattaya City on 22-24 September 2014.
Presiding over the event was His Excellency Mr. Panthep Klanarongran, President of the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand (NACC). The opening speakers included the Minister of Justice, His Excellency General Paiboon Khumchaiya, NACC Commissioner Pakdee Pothisiri and Ms. Solange Huerta, Metropolitan Regional Prosecutor of the Republic of Chile.
The workshop in Pattaya City is the second installment to the highly successful APEC capacity-building workshop series that began in Santiago, Chile, in June 2013. It is a joint collaboration between Thailand’s NACC and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Chile, with support from the APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (APEC-ACT).
The solution-focused workshop will examine financial investigation and asset recovery tools and techniques to pursue effective asset recovery actions. Participants will learn concepts and methods on enhancing the ability of law enforcement authorities to trace, freeze, seize, and confiscate proceeds of corruption located domestically and abroad. International experts and trainers will share their experience.
The World Bank estimates that corrupt politicians and public officials steal between US$20 to 40 billion from developing and transitioning countries annually. This figure is equivalent to the combined annual Gross Domestic Product of the world’s 12 poorest nations. The immense social costs of corruption far exceed the amount of money lost; corruption drains much needed resources for poverty-reduction and economic growth, erodes credibility of public institutions, and jeopardizes democratic development and the rule of law.
The actual amount of repatriated assets of corruption pales in comparison. Only US$5 billion were returned to their country of origin in the past 15 years, according to a recent joint publication by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. This adds up to less than 2 per cent of the estimated total stolen proceeds.
The good news is that this is beginning to change as momentum for international asset recovery picks up. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which currently boasts an impressive membership of 172 States Parties, is a major driving force in empowering the global anti-corruption efforts and making asset recovery a reality.
The convention clearly specifies that all proceeds of corruption should be returned without conditions to their country of origin and rightful owners. Chapter 5 of the UNCAC sets forth substantive provisions designed to facilitate the tracing, freezing and return of proceeds of corruption stolen and hidden abroad by corrupt public officials to their country of origin.
Thailand ratified the international convention in early 2011, and the NACC has since been pushing for revision to Thai anti-corruption and asset recovery laws in order to ensure the country’s full compliance with the convention and other international obligations.
“As the international community carefully monitors political developments in the country, it is of paramount importance that the current government and the National Legislative Assembly prioritize the fight against corruption and pass these bills without further delay,” stressed the NACC President. “Such prompt action will reflect positively on the administration’s commitment to tackle corruption and bolster the country’s reputation as a business and investment-friendly destination.”
Following the conclusion of this workshop, a draft handbook on best practices for investigating and prosecuting corruption and money laundering cases will be produced and reviewed by members of APEC-ACT when the group meets in the Philippines next year.
The NACC appreciates the kind support provided by its partners including the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Chile, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement of the US Department of State, American Bar Association, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and Pattaya City Administration in organizing this important regional workshop.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Akharakit Keeratithanachaiyos, International Affairs Strategy Specialist, Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand. Email: kharakit_kee@nacc.go.th and akharakit@gmail.com
Presiding over the event was His Excellency Mr. Panthep Klanarongran, President of the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand (NACC). The opening speakers included the Minister of Justice, His Excellency General Paiboon Khumchaiya, NACC Commissioner Pakdee Pothisiri and Ms. Solange Huerta, Metropolitan Regional Prosecutor of the Republic of Chile.
The workshop in Pattaya City is the second installment to the highly successful APEC capacity-building workshop series that began in Santiago, Chile, in June 2013. It is a joint collaboration between Thailand’s NACC and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Chile, with support from the APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (APEC-ACT).
The solution-focused workshop will examine financial investigation and asset recovery tools and techniques to pursue effective asset recovery actions. Participants will learn concepts and methods on enhancing the ability of law enforcement authorities to trace, freeze, seize, and confiscate proceeds of corruption located domestically and abroad. International experts and trainers will share their experience.
The World Bank estimates that corrupt politicians and public officials steal between US$20 to 40 billion from developing and transitioning countries annually. This figure is equivalent to the combined annual Gross Domestic Product of the world’s 12 poorest nations. The immense social costs of corruption far exceed the amount of money lost; corruption drains much needed resources for poverty-reduction and economic growth, erodes credibility of public institutions, and jeopardizes democratic development and the rule of law.
The actual amount of repatriated assets of corruption pales in comparison. Only US$5 billion were returned to their country of origin in the past 15 years, according to a recent joint publication by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. This adds up to less than 2 per cent of the estimated total stolen proceeds.
The good news is that this is beginning to change as momentum for international asset recovery picks up. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which currently boasts an impressive membership of 172 States Parties, is a major driving force in empowering the global anti-corruption efforts and making asset recovery a reality.
The convention clearly specifies that all proceeds of corruption should be returned without conditions to their country of origin and rightful owners. Chapter 5 of the UNCAC sets forth substantive provisions designed to facilitate the tracing, freezing and return of proceeds of corruption stolen and hidden abroad by corrupt public officials to their country of origin.
Thailand ratified the international convention in early 2011, and the NACC has since been pushing for revision to Thai anti-corruption and asset recovery laws in order to ensure the country’s full compliance with the convention and other international obligations.
“As the international community carefully monitors political developments in the country, it is of paramount importance that the current government and the National Legislative Assembly prioritize the fight against corruption and pass these bills without further delay,” stressed the NACC President. “Such prompt action will reflect positively on the administration’s commitment to tackle corruption and bolster the country’s reputation as a business and investment-friendly destination.”
Following the conclusion of this workshop, a draft handbook on best practices for investigating and prosecuting corruption and money laundering cases will be produced and reviewed by members of APEC-ACT when the group meets in the Philippines next year.
The NACC appreciates the kind support provided by its partners including the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Chile, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement of the US Department of State, American Bar Association, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and Pattaya City Administration in organizing this important regional workshop.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Akharakit Keeratithanachaiyos, International Affairs Strategy Specialist, Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand. Email: kharakit_kee@nacc.go.th and akharakit@gmail.com