RIYADH — The 4th Session of Conference of State Parties to Arab Convention against Corruption Concluded in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, represented by the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), hosted between March 22 and 23, with the participation of several heads of oversight apparatuses in member states, heads of relevant regional and international organizations, and local and international specialists and experts.

President of the current session and President of Nazaha Mazin bin Ibrahim Al-Kahmous, during his inaugural speech, welcomed attendants and participants of the fourth session, expressing his gratitude to president of the Moroccan National Anti-Corruption Authority (ICPC) and president of the third session Mohamed Bachir Rachdi for his efforts while presiding over the previous session.

Al-Kahmous commended the efforts of the Secretariat-General of the Arab League, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and all state parties to the Arab Convention against Corruption for their preparations for this meeting.

The conference started with a speech by Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League and Head of the Legal Affairs Sector Ambassador Mohamed Al-Amin Weld Akeek, before handing over the presidency of the conference to the Kingdom.

The closing ceremony reviewed several important decisions and subjects, the top of which were accrediting a mechanism to implement the Arab Convention against Corruption, accrediting a new mechanism that contributes to enhancing joint Arab action, discussing a proposal to prepare a draft complementary protocol to the Arab Convention against Corruption concerned with retrieving money collected by corrupt means and smuggled abroad, and accrediting a decision calling on all state parties to join the Riyadh Initiative GLOBE Network.

On Tuesday, the conference witnessed the Arab forum to enhance international cooperation in the field of fighting corruption, which included three sessions. — SPA