Hanoi (VNA) - A training workshop to improve the capacity ofanti-corruption and law enforcement agencies in the use of techniques andtactics to investigate corruption cases was launched in Hanoi on March 14.
 
The three-day event was held by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security.

The workshop attracted more than 50 participants from corruption preventionagencies, law enforcement agencies, and investigating bodies of Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

The training workshop will cover a wide range of investigative skills forcorruption cases, ranging from the gathering of evidence and documentation towitness interviews, electronic surveillance and the use of scouts.

It will also introduce indirect methods to demonstrate the origin of corruptbehaviour and good practices in investigating corruption.

An important objective of the workshop is to strengthen the capacity of lawenforcement agencies to file and submit requests for judicial assistance to thecentral offices of other countries to gather evidence.

Speaking at the workshop, senior lieutenant-colonel Le DucTuyen, deputydirector of the Foreign Affairs Department under the Ministry of PublicSecurity, said that during the past years, crimes related to corruption andmoney laundering had increased triggering losses, threatening stability anddevelopment in all sectors, including economy, society, politics and nationalsecurity.

Statistics provided by the World Bank has shown that the world lost some 1trillion USD annually because of money laundering, he said.

“Cooperation in preventing money laundering and corruption is necessary andindispensable,” said Tuyen.

Vietnam is striving to prevent corruption, but still faces obstacles and needscloser cooperation with other countries in the area, especially in the greatMekong region, and international agencies, including the UNODC.

“Together by completing the legal framework, Vietnam can better implement itsinternational role in corruption prevention,” said Tuyen.

Attending the workshop, Francesco Checchi, an anti-corruption adviser from theUNODC, said that corruption has been recognised as a threat to nationalsecurity, and social and economic development globally.

It negatively affects public service delivery, such as access to health careand education, as well as to justice, he said.

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam share common or close border, andso criminals and proceeds of crime often travel across borders throughout theregion.

“Regional coordination and cooperation is essential for the detection andsuccessful prosecution of corruption and money laundering, as well as for therecovery of stolen assets,” he said.

“I really hope that this event will help the development of mutualunderstanding and enhance cooperation for addressing corruption in the Mekongregion, with the ultimate goal of making the region a safer, wealthier and morejust place,” he said.-VNA