Iran Urges UN to Help Extradite Financial Criminals

According To Iran News, Iran called on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to help the Islamic Republic arrest the criminals who have fled the country and return the money they have embezzled.

The Islamic Republic’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi said on Thursday that he has asked the new Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to get involved in the issue and have the Iranian criminals arrested and extradited.

In a message on his Instagram page, Gharibabadi said some convicts have looted people’s property and now take refuge in the safe haven of some Western countries.

“Yesterday, I talked to new Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Ms. Ghada Waly. In this conversation, I called for the serious involvement of this office in the issue of the return of these lawbreakers, as well as the return of looted property,” he noted.

On Monday, Iran’s Judiciary Chief Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi ordered bringing back and prosecuting the criminals convicted of financial crimes who have fled the country to escape justice.

“Those facing charges must surrender to justice and know that they cannot escape justice,” the top judge stressed.

Raeisi also lashed out at certain Western states for harboring criminals and fugitives who have fled Iran.

“One of the examples of injustice and major cruelties to humanity is that a number of countries claiming to fight against organized corruption and money-laundering have sheltered economic criminals and their dirty money,” the Judiciary chief added.

Since August 2018, Iran’s Judiciary has been holding public trials of individuals involved in major economic corruption cases.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has permitted the Judiciary to take special measures in order to confront economic corruption and called for “swift and just” legal action against financial crimes.

The Leader has described “outright and unequivocal” treatment of economic corruption as one of the Judiciary’s major duties, stressing that confronting economic corrupts must be decisive and effective.