Arab Association for Prosecutors concludes the meeting and affirms readiness to combat developments in various types of crimes.

The Saudi Attorney General, Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mujib, said that the working papers and presentations of applications submitted by attorney generals, heads of public prosecutions and heads of Arab public prosecution authorities, and members of the prosecution association during the workshops of the second annual meeting of the Arab Association for Prosecutors are a testament to the advanced level of the member states’ prosecution offices, who work side-by-side with partners from regional and international organizations and counterparts, and to their resolve to keep abreast of developments and achieve effective results in legal aid in a way that enhances combating these crimes in accordance with their latest methods.

He made the remarks during the conclusion of the second annual meeting of the Arab Association for Prosecutors, Thursday in Jeddah, under the title “Financial fraud and cybersecurity issues, and their connection to transnational organized crime”.

“I was pleased with the programs of the meeting and the activities of the sessions, including the pioneering contributions and distinguished experiences that everyone took part in, to lay the groundwork for justice integration through exchanging experiences and technical and administrative practices”, he stated. 

The meeting's workshops enhanced the understanding of the participating members of the public prosecution offices and public prosecution authorities of the modern investigation mechanisms in combating transnational organized crimes, especially financial fraud crimes, introducing them to the international frameworks to combat this type of crime. The workshops also created an opportunity for communication between the practicing members of the public prosecution bodies and their leadership to present what they have learned to decision-makers, which improves the work mechanisms of Arab prosecution offices, maximizes the benefit from the mechanisms of international judicial cooperation, encourages legal dialogue, builds capacities and enhances skills in line with the association’s objectives.

The remaining workshops were resumed on the second day of the meeting. The third workshop was titled “The role of investigations in combating transnational organized crime, especially financial fraud crimes”, which was presented by two members of the Public Prosecution Office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They presented modern methods in collecting evidence for financial fraud crimes, including collecting evidence through the information available on the international information network and social media platforms, in addition to a presentation of the experiences of the Public Prosecution in the Kingdom in investigating these types of cases.

Member of the European Union Agency “Eurojust” and Deputy National Member of Romania presented the fourth workshop entitled “The role of cybersecurity in reducing financial fraud crimes and modern investigation mechanisms in those crimes”. He reviewed a set of technical means used to prevent the illegal use of communication systems, protect the confidentiality and privacy of personal data and reduce financial fraud crimes, specifically showcasing to the audience the European experience in investigating financial fraud crimes and modern mechanisms to combat them.

The final session of the workshop activities tackled “the experiences of the participating countries in combating financial fraud crimes”, where eleven figures of the participating public prosecution offices highlighted the relevant legislation and best practices in this type of crime.

Hosting the second annual meeting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comes as part of the aspirations of the wise leadership and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to strengthen and develop Arab relations, build bridges of continuous communication, combat the dangers of transnational organized crime, and strengthen international judicial cooperation.

Following the meeting, Morocco was tapped to host next year’s third meeting of the Arab Association for Prosecutors.

It is worthy to note that the meeting was attended by attorney generals, heads of public prosecutions, and heads of Arab public prosecution authorities, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Palestine, and the Republic of Sudan.

Moreover, heads and representatives of several international organizations and regional counterpart entities, represented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organization for Migration, the International Association of Prosecutors, and the European Union Agency “Eurojust” took part in the meeting.

UzA