New Delhi, March 23 (NationPress) Praveen Sood, the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), emphasized on Monday that corruption has become transnational, complex, and increasingly facilitated by technology, rendering international collaboration an essential rather than optional endeavor.

In his keynote address during the 12th Steering Committee Meeting of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities, Sood pointed out the efficacy of the GlobE Network's Secure Communication Platform, which serves as an excellent resource for encrypted and real-time information sharing among participating authorities.

He urged all member agencies to collaborate with the CBI, share actionable intelligence, and fully utilize the existing cooperation mechanisms.

Sood reiterated the CBI's role as the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, highlighting the significant international cooperation it fosters.

He noted that timely and coordinated actions can play a crucial role in ensuring that offenders face justice and that illicit assets are retrieved.

The CBI chief commended the GlobE Network for facilitating more real-time interactions and collaborative efforts compared to other platforms.

He reaffirmed India's unwavering commitment to collaborating with all members to establish the GlobE Network as a robust and effective foundation of global anti-corruption cooperation.

Earlier, Rahul Navin, the chief of the Enforcement Directorate, stated at the meeting that under the contemporary anti-corruption framework outlined in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), asset recovery should not be an afterthought but a true indicator of enforcement success.

He shared that the Enforcement Directorate has recovered assets valued at nearly $5.6 billion, including those related to corruption cases, with a substantial part of this achieved in recent years.

India's performance in asset recovery positions it among the leading jurisdictions worldwide in recovering stolen assets for the state and victims, the statement indicated, adding that hosting the 12th GlobE Steering Committee Meeting underscores India's growing presence in the global anti-corruption landscape.

The three-day meeting, running from March 23 to 25, assembles the 15 member countries of the Steering Committee to discuss the strategic direction, operational priorities, and evolving frameworks for international cooperation.

The current 15 nations represented in the GlobE Steering Committee include: Azerbaijan, Brazil, China (including Hong Kong and Macau SARs), Ethiopia, Grenada, India, Italy, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.