On December 14, 2021, from the city of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, and as part of the Anti-Corruption Summit convened by the United Nations, we witnessed important progress in terms of asset recovery. The issue is relevant and crucial within the international agendas on the fight against corruption, as it is placed at the center of a variety of closely related issues such as: the fight against transnational organized crime, international cooperation, the regime and regulations banking and financial, etc.
As a result of the efforts presented at the conference by the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR), an instrument of the World Bank and UNODC, as well as the British Government's Foreign Office, today we can fully recognize a number of patterns that explain the sequence of illegal asset extraction. At the same time, we have better data for the development of more effective legal mechanisms for their repatriation; whose design also satisfies a series of vital criteria such as transparency and the participation of civil society. A question by no means minor within the analysis of this issue is the role that the United States plays. This nation is the preferred destination for the safeguarding of assets illegally stolen from the rest of the countries of the world (followed by Singapore and Liechtenstein); A reality that invites us to pay particular attention to the modalities of its financial system and the dynamics of its real estate market, since foreign bank accounts and real estate are the main means by which the corrupt hide and secure their loot.
At ONG CCRC we recognize ourselves as enthusiastic and confident that these new discussions mark guidelines and favorable international commitments for the fight against corruption. Approaching the final stretch of the Summit, we salute the coordination of the event and the numerous shows of support and association that the international community (including States, civil society and the business sector) has shown.
Abel Rivera