Iraqi Government Boosts Money Laundering Detection Capabilities with UNDP Support

The Iraqi government has made a significant step towards strengthening its financial ecosystem by completing a series of targeted workshops on forensic auditing, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The workshops aimed to equip auditors, lawyers, and IT experts from various government agencies with skills to detect fraud and corruption in public funds.

Workshops Focus on Forensic Auditing

The training program, which was attended by over 200 participants from the Federal Boards of Supreme Audit (F/KBoSA) and the Commissions of Integrity (F/KCoI), focused on:

Recognizing fraud
Preparing comprehensive forensic audit reports
Practicing preventive auditing to mitigate fraud risk

Forensic Auditing: A Key Tool in Combating Financial Crimes

Forensic auditing is a specialized form of auditing that investigates patterns of potential financial irregularities or fraud. By equipping professionals with the tools to combat financial crimes effectively, the workshops enabled participating entities and government departments to uphold their integrity.

The training also fostered a collaborative environment where participants shared practical and scientific ideas to combat fraud and corruption in Iraq. As Dalal Abdul Rahman Yassin, Financial Controller at KBoSA, noted: “The workshop helped us share practical and scientific ideas that we can deploy in our work environment to combat fraud and corruption in Iraq.”

UNDP Project Supports Rule of Law and Human Rights

The UNDP project on strengthening the rule of law and human rights is supporting the development of investigative bodies in Iraq to tackle complex financial crimes. The project has received funding from the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

According to Romana Schweiger, Programme Manager of the UNDP Rule of Law/Security Sector Reform Programme: “Our financial crime programmes are building a diverse skillset of practitioners, and the forensic auditing workshops stand out for their deep focus on financial analyses and how auditing can be used as a tool in fighting crimes.”

Project Achievements

The project has already supported over 700 investigating judges and prosecutors, police investigators, auditors, and financial analysts from various institutions to effectively investigate and adjudicate complex financial crimes.

Conclusion

As Mr. Haitham Sabah Hussein, Director Digital Auditing at FBoSA, noted: “The workshop helped us become more knowledgeable about scientific methods of detection and discovery of fraud, especially data analytics, digital forensics, and cybersecurity. We would like to learn such special techniques considering the rapid developments in digitalization and the e-government rollout in Iraq.”

The UNDP Iraq programme on Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform aims to support the government’s efforts to build trust and confidence between legal entities, public finance institutions, security sector institutions, and communities.