The UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities – GlobE Network – now boasts 200 authorities from 113 countries. On the occasion of this milestone, UNODC met with Ramazan Ibraimov from the Prosecutor’s General Office of Kyrgyzstan and a contact point for the Network. We talk about trust and a sense of community in a job that sometimes feels isolating and cumbersome.
Amidst the hushed whispers of legal jargon, footsteps echoing in the background, and the sounds of papers shuffling lies the heart of justice: the prosecutor’s office.
Ramazan Ibraimov apologizes for the noise in the background. “We are about to interview someone in a corruption case,” he explains. “So, colleagues are waiting for me to finish.”
Ramazan starts by describing his day-to-day job. “It includes supervision of the execution of law by the state authorities throughout the Kyrgyz Republic and the implementation of anti-corruption legislation.”
Behind this day-to-day routine of carrying out inspections, filing paperwork, and interviewing suspects lies a desire to live in a society that is more transparent.
“I have had many dreams growing up. Some of them came true, some remain unrealized,” Ramazan says.
“One of those ultimate goals was to establish the rule of law in my country, because I want to live in a society free from any kind of corruption.”
But one cannot achieve this goal alone.
The GlobE Network provides an opportunity for anti-corruption law enforcement practitioners to share information efficiently and securely through the GlobE Secure Communication Platform. Such communication would usually take months, sometimes even years, to process through formal cooperation channels. This helps transnational corruption cases to progress at a faster pace. Efficiency is paramount in some prosecutions – a delay in action can sometimes cost a prosecutor a successful outcome.
The basis for this kind of cooperation is trust, which the GlobE Network helps to strengthen by providing a space for practitioners to meet informally.
“Trust forms the basis for effective communication among prosecutors from different jurisdictions. When prosecutors trust each other, they are more likely to openly share information, exchange ideas, and coordinate their efforts, leading to smoother collaboration on transnational cases,” he explains.
Utilizing what the GlobE Network has to offer, Ramazan was able to advance a State Patent Service case he was handling. He was also able to securely exchange sensitive information and coordinate efforts with colleagues and partners from Austria and China.
Knowledge gained through the meetings and events of the GlobE Network has shaped the way the Kyrgyz Republic’s Prosecutor’s General Office staff is trained. For instance, there are now more practical exercises on investigative techniques and simulations of transnational cooperation scenarios.
“I see that the efforts of such a global network ultimately lead to creating a safer society, free from violence, free from corruption,” Ramazan says.
“Instead of focusing on our differences, we need to pay more attention to our similarities,” he adds. “We all pursue justice in the fight against corruption.”
A key commitment of the UN Convention against Corruption is the improvement of direct cooperation between law enforcement authorities. UNODC’s Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network) helps States implement this obligation.
This global community of front-line specialists collaborates to detect transnational corruption and investigate and prosecute complex cases. Launched in 2021, the Network now has 200 member authorities from 113 countries.
