02. June 2021

30 June virtual event: Illicit enrichment laws – an underused tool to target corruption and recover stolen assets?

Illicit enrichment virtual event

Post-webinar update: Read the event summary hereview the full event on YouTube or listen to the audio recording.

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An increasing number of countries are introducing mechanisms to target people who enjoy an amount of wealth that can't be explained by their lawful income.

These mechanisms - known as illicit enrichment laws or unexplained wealth laws - allow investigators and prosecutors to recover assets that have clearly not come from lawful sources without having to prove the specific criminal action that gave rise to these proceeds. As such, they are particularly useful to target corruption offences, where it is often difficult to point to an obvious victim or to a specific criminal act.

What different approaches to illicit enrichment legislation exist around the world? How do they work in practice? What are the key debates and concerns that are holding countries back from developing and implementing these laws?

This virtual event will discuss these issues and more, based on experience in recent cases.

Jonathan Spicer, Senior Asset Recovery Specialist at the Basel Institute on Governance, will moderate a panel of experts and practitioners:

  • Andrew Dornbierer, Asset Recovery Specialist, Basel Institute on Governance and author of Illicit Enrichment: A Guide to Laws Targeting Unexplained Wealth (newly published in June - see news release)
  • Tom Walugembe, Asset Recovery Specialist, Basel Institute on Governance
  • Paul Keyton and Preeya Raghoonundun, Director and Assistant Director, Integrity Reporting Service Agency, Mauritius
  • Phillip G. Kagucia, Assistant Director, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Kenya

The event takes place on Wednesday, 30 June at 13:00 CET. All are welcome.

Download the event flyer