New Delhi, October 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday pitched corruption as a dangerous threat similar to terrorism, drug trafficking, poaching and organised crime the world is confronted with and urged the global leadership to treat dirty money not just as a domestic problem of a nation but against humanity at large.

“A safe and secure world is our shared responsibility. When the forces of good cooperate, the forces of crime cannot operate,” the PM stressed while advocating a swift global response to global threats.

Addressing the 90th Interpol General Assembly Session here, Prime Minister Modi said, “Corruption and financial crimes have harmed the welfare of the citizens of many countries...it is such money that is pushed into evil activities. This is one of the major sources of terror funding. From illegal drugs that destroy young lives to human trafficking, from weakening democracies to the sale of illegal arms, this dirty money funds many destructive enterprises.”

He reached out to ministers and top cops from different Interpol member countries attending the session to work faster to eliminate safe havens for the corrupt, terrorists, drug cartels, poaching gangs, and organised crime. “Such crimes against people in one place are crimes against humanity,” he remarked while encouraging Interpol to speed up Red Corner Notices for fugitive offenders.

Modi released commemorative postal stamps and ₹100 coins to mark the 90th Interpol General Assembly.

Spread of terrorism

During his speech, Modi also dwelled on the spread of terrorism through e-space, such as online radicalisation and cyber threats, and stated that India has been combating trans-national terrorism for several decades, long before the world woke up to it. His remark came at a time when Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency Director General Mohsin Butt, along with another colleague of his, was attending the Interpol meet. Butt, meanwhile, did not respond to queries about whether Pakistan would hand over India’s most wanted terrorists, Dawood Ibrahim and LeT chief Hafiz Sayeed. 

At the click of a button, an attack can be executed or systems can be brought to their knees. Each nation is working on strategies to counter them. But what we do within our borders is no longer enough. There is a need to further develop international strategies. Establishment of early detection and warning systems; protecting transportation services; security for communication infrastructure; security for critical infrastructure; technical and technological assistance; intelligence exchange; many of these things need to be taken to a new level.

Modi concluded his address by stating that “Let communication, collaboration, and cooperation defeat crime, corruption, and terrorism.”

Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi informed the member countries that steps have been initiated for the modernisation of his organisation and reiterated his commitment to enhance transparency and support collaboration among member countries.

“Last year, I had the privilege of being elected as the President of Interpol by you all at the 89th General Assembly. I take this opportunity to repeat the commitment I made to you on that date. To drive for a modern Interpol, to enhance transparency, and to support collaboration between member countries.” Al-Raisi also spoke about Interpol’s collaboration with the UN and WHO, among others, to achieve its objective of delivering effective global policing.

“As the world’s largest police organisation, it is the job of Interpol to make sure that all countries are supported. No member country is too big and no country is too small. We must all be equally represented,” Al-Raisi commented.