In a November 6 election in Arusha, Tanzania, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), was elected chairperson of the African Asset Recovery Practitioners’ Forum (AARP-F) by the forum’s interim council members, which included representatives from African regional blocks, ARINs, and AAACA. Aliyu has urged member countries to work together to eradicate illicit financial flow on the continent.
Speaking after his election, Dr. Aliyu emphasized that in order to achieve Africa’s development goals, AARP Forum members must adhere to the aims of their charter and further asset monitoring and repatriation initiatives.
Strengthening regional and international systems and tracking and assessing the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR) implementation are the two main objectives of the charter, according to the ICPC chief.
Dr. Aliyu asserts that in order to achieve these goals, conference participants and their respective national Ministries of Justice and Judiciary must work closely together.
He clarified that such cooperation would enable a united front to protect the continent’s financial integrity and aid in the dismantling of legal obstacles between African governments.
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In order to interact with foreign recipients of illicit financial flows (IFFs), the ICPC chairman further emphasized the necessity of a strong Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) framework under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
Whether retained purposefully or accidentally, he pointed out that this system would incentivize recipients to return assets that do not rightfully belong to them.
Dr. Aliyu emphasized that in order to improve the effectiveness of African criminal justice systems and get past procedural barriers that stand in the way of CAPAR’s goals, it is imperative that current legal frameworks be strengthened.
He pointed out that in many African nations, legal technicalities continue to be a major obstacle to corruption prosecution.
“The ICPC chairman also highlighted the expertise within the forum’s diverse membership as a critical resource for overcoming the barriers limiting Africa’s progress,” said commission spokesperson Demola Bakare in a press statement on Monday.
According to him, AARP’s mission goes beyond only helping people recover financially and includes regaining Africa’s cultural heritage, which includes artwork, artifacts, and everything else that is important to the continent’s identity.
