Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, the Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has been elected President of the African Asset Recovery Practitioners’ Forum (AARP-F) .
Dr. Aliyu’s election took place on November 6, 2024, during a meeting of interim council members from African regional blocks, Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Networks (ARINs), and the African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (AAACA) in Arusha, Tanzania.
Following his election, Dr. Aliyu emphasized the need for AARP-F members to commit to the Forum’s mission, focusing on asset tracking and repatriation to support Africa’s development goals.
He outlined the organization’s two main objectives: bolstering regional and international anti-corruption frameworks and monitoring the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR).
Dr. Aliyu urged close collaboration between AARP-F members and national judicial and justice ministries, which he said would help eliminate legal barriers between African nations and protect the continent’s financial integrity.
He stressed the importance of establishing a strong Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) framework under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to compel foreign entities holding illicit African assets to return them.
Highlighting challenges to prosecuting corruption in Africa, Dr. Aliyu noted that procedural complexities frequently hinder the effectiveness of CAPAR’s initiatives.
He further emphasized that the AARP-F’s diverse expertise could help overcome these obstacles, promoting both financial recovery and the restitution of Africa’s cultural heritage.
The AARP-F, under Dr. Aliyu’s leadership, aims to advance regional cooperation in tackling illicit financial flows and asset recovery to accelerate Africa’s economic and cultural restoration.
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