DOHA, December 15. /TASS/. Western countries are deliberately reducing anti-corruption cooperation with Russia to serve their political interests, which effectively aids organized crime and allows thousands of wrongdoers to evade punishment, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky told TASS on the sidelines of the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
"In today’s reality, we are forced to acknowledge a noticeable deterioration and ‘rollback’ in this area due to Western countries’ disregard for international law. In pursuit of their political and economic interests, they have begun deliberately reducing the potential for anti-corruption and anti-crime cooperation with partners they consider ‘unwanted’ or ‘inconvenient,’ thereby helping organized crime," Lyubinsky said in response to a question about whether Russia still has functioning channels with Western countries for the return of illegally obtained assets and the extradition of criminals.
According to him, this approach by Western countries, especially in the field of extradition and legal assistance in criminal cases, "cannot withstand any criticism." Illegal unilateral sanctions, adopted in circumvention of the Security Council and contrary to the UN Charter and other norms of international law, also have an extremely negative impact, he said. Such measures cause irreparable damage to all interested parties and allow thousands of criminals to evade responsibility and avoid punishment for their actions for many years.
The 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption is being held in Doha from December 15 to 19. Participants are discussing issues related to corruption prevention, criminal prosecution and international legal assistance, the return of assets obtained through corruption, and the mechanism for reviewing the implementation of the convention.