Kenya and China plan to sign a mutual legal assistance agreement in order to combat corruption, Kenya’s anti-graft watchdog said on Monday.
Twalib Mbarak, CEO of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission told Xinhua in Nairobi that Kenya had already signed the agreement and had submitted the deal to the Chinese government for signature.
“The mutual legal assistance agreement will help to combat economic crimes by enabling cooperation between Kenyan and Chinese investigative agencies to trace and recover proceeds of crime that are transferred between the two nations,’’ Mbarak said.
According to Mbarak, bilateral legal agreements are required because of the increasing globalization, where corruption has become a significant transnational crime that requires countries to conduct investigations in foreign countries.
He noted that increasing Sino-Kenya ties had provided greater opportunities for criminal networks to take advantage of ease of flow of funds between the two countries.
(NAN)