ICPC Chairman Elected President Of AAR P’S Forum, Urges Renewed CAPAR Implementation To Combat Illicit Financial Flows in Africa

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced that its chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, has been elected President of the African Asset Recovery Practitioners’ Forum (AARP-F).

The election, held in Arusha, Tanzania, on November 6, 2024, saw Dr. Aliyu chosen by the interim council members of the forum, which includes representatives from regional African blocs, the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (ARINs), and the Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities in Africa (AAACA).

The announcement was made in a press release issued on November 11 by Demola Bakare, Acting Director of Public Enlightenment and Education and spokesperson for the ICPC.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Aliyu outlined the strategic importance of strengthening the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR), calling for renewed efforts to track, recover, and repatriate African assets held abroad. He stressed that a unified, continent-wide approach is essential to reach Africa’s development goals and preserve its financial integrity.

“The objectives of AARP-F are not only to reinforce regional and international recovery systems but also to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of CAPAR implementation,” Dr. Aliyu said. He pointed out that active collaboration among forum members and their respective domestic Ministries of Justice and Judiciary would be crucial for dismantling legal barriers and facilitating asset recovery across African borders.

Dr. Aliyu also called for the strengthening of a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) framework under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to engage international holders of African illicit assets, encouraging them to return assets that do not rightfully belong to them. This framework, he argued, is key to overcoming procedural challenges that currently hinder CAPAR’s objectives.

Highlighting the significance of AARP-F’s diverse membership, Dr. Aliyu noted that the forum’s collective expertise could play a critical role in tackling the complex legal and technical challenges associated with prosecuting corruption across African jurisdictions. In addition to financial recovery, he spoke of the forum’s broader mission to reclaim Africa’s cultural heritage, including artworks and artefacts of historical importance that have been lost to foreign entities.

The ICPC chairman’s election as President of AARP-F comes at a pivotal time as African nations continue to strengthen anti-corruption frameworks and seek to recover significant funds lost through illicit financial flows. Dr. Aliyu’s leadership is expected to drive forward CAPAR’s objectives, reinforcing Africa’s stance on asset recovery and preservation of it’s resources.