Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region face a common set of structural barriers that constrain their ability to detect, investigate and recover corruption-related stolen assets.
This report examines how corruption-related stolen assets are generated, concealed and moved in eight countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) and identifies the legal, institutional and operational barriers that impede effective detection, investigation and recovery. It draws on case research, mutual evaluation reports from the Financial Action Task Force and country questionnaires to offer evidence-based findings and recommendations for reform.
The analysis identifies several common challenges in the countries reviewed. These include under-utilised international cooperation, operational constraints on investigations, gaps in data availability and record-keeping, and persistent loopholes in high-risk areas such as real estate and cash-based financial services as well as use of proxies.
Recommendations build on these findings and focus on common standards and institutional practices to strengthen detection and investigation of corrupt money flows in the countries reviewed.
