Iran's Deputy Justice Minister and secretary of the national authority and coordinating body of the United Nations Convention against Corruption Ali Kazemi made the remarks on Monday.
He pointed to six paragraphs of Article 44 of the Convention, noting that in line with this Article, countries can issue a declaration addressed to the UN secretary-general and accept the Convention as a principle to pave the way for the extradition of criminals; thus, in this way, the Convention turns into a bilateral agreement between the countries that have issued that declaration.
Kazemi went on to say that 60 countries have issued this declaration so far, and around 40 of which, including European and American states, which are at the same time the destinations for corrupt and criminal fugitives, have also accepted the Convention as the basis for cooperation.
The accession of Iran to the United Nations Convention against Corruption has been discussed for more than 10 years, he said, adding that it was finalized and submitted to the Iranian administration cabinet last year.
So, Iran is hopeful that it can contact the 40 countries that have accepted the declaration and hold them legally accountable for their international obligations, he argued, noting that Tehran seeks to use this process to pave the ground for extradition of criminals and recover Iranian assets that have been transferred to other states.
On the impact of this measure on the extradition of criminals, the official said that Iran currently does not have any legal and judicial cooperation with several of the members of the Convention, while the declaration provides a legal basis and obliges those countries to extradite or prosecute criminals, so it is expected to make the world insecure for criminals and end the impunity of criminals in at least 40 states.
4208**9417
Your Comment