VIENNA — Saudi Arabia, represented by the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (NAZAHA), assumed the presidency of the Global Operations Network of Law Enforcement Authorities Concerned with Combating Corruption (GlobE Network), in an official ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters in the Austrian capital, Vienna. This handover came after Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected to chair the network for the period 2025-2027, at a high-level meeting held earlier in the Chinese capital, Beijing. Saudi Arabia's assumption of the presidency of the network, which represents the largest international platform for coordinating joint efforts between law enforcement agencies to investigate and combat cross-border corruption, is in appreciation by member states of Saudi Arabia's efforts in combating corruption. It also reflects the international community's confidence in Saudi Arabia's capabilities to enhance international cooperation to prosecute perpetrators of corruption crimes and combat cross-border corruption, as the network includes more than 219 law enforcement agencies representing more than 120 countries, in addition to many international networks and organizations around the world. The handover ceremony witnessed the transfer of leadership from the Chief Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Office of Spain, the former President of the Network, to the Saudi representative Dr. Nasser Aba Al-Khail, Undersecretary of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority for International Cooperation, in the presence of representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and several senior international officials and representatives of the Network's member states. Dr. Aba Al-Khail stressed that Saudi Arabia, during its presidency of the network, seeks to enhance cooperation between member states to combat corruption within the framework of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and to launch a secure communications platform; which will raise the level of international cooperation and increase the ability of governments to address emerging challenges in combating corruption, and to track illicit funds across borders more effectively.
