The U.S. Embassy to Iraq hosted a workshop at Iraq’s Judicial Development Institute from December 17-20 on the role of judges in adjudicating disputes involving letters of credit. U.S. Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff, representing the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), led the workshop with the assistance of the Institute of International Banking Law and Practice.
The Iraqi Higher Judicial Council selected 15 judges from both trial and appellate courts in ten different provinces across Iraq to participate in the workshop to ensure the concepts reached all levels of the Iraqi judiciary. Topics of discussion included Independence Principal, Doctrine of Compliance, and International Fraud and Abuse.
“I was very impressed with the presentations at the CLDP workshop and very pleased it was held at the Judicial Development Institute, which was constructed with funding from the U.S. government,” said Steven H. Fagin, Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. “This event was just the latest example of the strong partnership between the U.S. Mission and Iraq.”
Judge Amir Al-Shammari, Chief Judge of the Baghdad Commercial Court, noted that similar workshops organized by CLDP for the Iraqi judiciary “have resulted in many useful recommendations to modernize Iraq’s laws and adopt important international treaties.”
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is committed to the professional development of Iraq’s judges, judicial investigators, and court administrative staff through bilateral programs on Law Enforcement and Judicial Cooperation, as outlined by the Strategic Framework Agreement.
