The African Center for Governance, Asset Recovery and Sustainable Development, in collaboration with CLEEN Foundation, presented the “Guideline for Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) on the monitoring and management of proceeds of crime” in accordance with international standards and the Principles of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR).

The session was attended by stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and more than sixty CSOs from within and outside Nigeria. Mr Peter Gad, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, noted in the opening remarks that every citizen should be involved in the repatriation and management of recovered assets. He stressed the need for continued stakeholder partnership to ensure effective asset recovery and management.

During her presentation of the Guideline, Juliet Ibekaku Nwagwu, Executive Director of the African Center highlighted the importance of asset recovery, return, management, and CSO participation. She emphasized that international and regional laws, such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and the African Union Convention against Corruption as well as domestic laws, such as the Nigerian Proceeds of Crime Act (2022), support CSO participation in asset recovery and management. She noted that this participation is essential for reducing corruption, promoting accountability, and achieving sustainable development, particularly in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 16.4 and 5 and that it is critical for CSOs to be involved in the management of proceeds of crime at the international and domestic levels.

The African Center and CLEEN Foundation were commended for promoting transparency and accountability in asset recovery and management. The synergy between state and non-state actors was highlighted as remarkable in monitoring the proceeds of corruption. The webinar participants recommended that existing legal frameworks be reviewed to allow citizens who are victims to initiate asset recovery cases.

For more information, please visit: http://assetrecovery.org, www.africancenterdev.org or email us at info@africancenterdev.org