Angola
News and blog
Southern Africa’s fight against corruption needs Collective Action
A high-level meeting of heads of anti-corruption agencies in the Southern African Development Community SADC last month was a chance to take stock of member countries’ efforts to tackle corruption. The meeting allowed for a reflection on many ongoing activities and discussions around Collective Action in the region this year. It was the perfect opportunity to reflect on how to galvanise joint efforts against the region’s biggest scourge. Speaking to delegates, Scarlet Wannenwetsch, Collective Action Specialist, highlighted the underused capacity of the private sector. Businesses are full of dynamism and talent, both of which are critical in fighting corruption and other transnational crimes. To harness the private sector’s potential, she emphasised the importance of building trust by fostering regional multi-stakeholder networks. Bringing together anti-corruption champions from the public sector, private sector and civil society helps to create “good” networks – ones powerful enough to fight the corrupt networks that are holding back development in the region. Appetite for engagement The Basel Institute has been a long-standing partner of the SADC Secretariat through the work of the Private Sector team. Our team has been impressed by the level of innovation in the region. Some feature in a publication capturing good practices that was created by, with and for anti-corruption agencies in Africa. We have also been training SADC corruption prevention officers on how to engage with the private sector through Collective Action approaches. Our partners consistently express a desire for more opportunities to engage and exchange with other stakeholders. They realise that no one group can tackle corruption alone. Working towards building a community of practice To sow the seeds for such a regional multi-stakeholder network, we launched the first Southern African Anti-Corruption Collective Action Forum earlier this year in collaboration with the Southern African Anti-Corruption Network SAACoN and The Ethics Institute. The event brought together participants from the private sector, civil society and government institutions to discuss concrete opportunities for learning and collaboration. For many, it was the first time they had met at the regional level. The event was also a chance to celebrate progress. CoST Uganda won our Southern Africa Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award for its outstanding achievements in tackling corruption and raising business integrity in the region. What’s next? In order to build on the momentum of the Forum and on the energy of the SADC region’s anti-corruption leaders, it is crucial that member states continue to prioritise collaboration and Collective Action. Government anti-corruption agencies needs close, sustained collaboration with the private sector and civil society if they want to develop a more inclusive strategy to prevent corruption – and if they want that strategy to actually work in practice. That applies not only at the country and sector level, but at the regional level too. And that’s what Collective Action can bring. We look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and wider partners to support anti-corruption Collective Action in the region. Learn more about our work on the B20 Collective Action Hub and find inspiration in its global database of initiatives.
Conferência de Lisboa 2022: Países lusófonos reúnem-se para alargar os mecanismos para a recuperação de activos
View English version. As autoridades nacionais dos países de língua oficial portuguesa, incluindo Angola, Cabo Verde, Moçambique e Timor-Leste, deram um importante passo em frente na exploração do potencial do confisco civil para recuperar bens ilícitos. Na Conferência de Lisboa de 5-7 de Julho de 2022, representantes de alto nível destes países reuniram-se com peritos internacionais. Juntos, exploraram leis de confisco civil NCBF em inglês – mecanismos para confiscar os produtos de corrupção e de outros crimes quando uma condenação criminal não é possível. A Conferência procurou alargar a compreensão do confisco civil e da sua aplicação nos países de língua portuguesa entre os cerca de 200 procuradores, juízes, investigadores, académicos, advogados e outros participantes. As delegações de Angola, Cabo Verde, Moçambique e Timor-Leste incluíam representantes do Parlamento, Supremo Tribunal, Ministério da Justiça, Procuradoria-Geral da República, Unidade de Informação Financeira, entre outros. A Procuradoria-Geral da República de São Tomé e Príncipe enviou também uma delegação. Esta ampla representação internacional, ao mais alto nível, foi importante. A vontade política, a confiança e a cooperação entre instituições e fronteiras são cruciais para o desenvolvimento e implementação de tais leis. Debates e perspectivas ao longo de três dias O Dia 1 da Conferência teve lugar no Auditório da Polícia Judiciária Portuguesa e contou também com a presença da Procuradora-Geral da República de Portugal. Oito peritos internacionais abordaram tópicos incluindo a importância da recuperação de activos no combate à corrupção e como a cooperação internacional funciona na prática nos casos deconfisco civil. Este dia foi também aberto à participação virtual, com mais de 110 participantes de Angola, Brasil, Cabo Verde, Moçambique, Portugal e Timor-Leste. O Dia 2, apenas no formato presencial e com as delegações de Angola, Cabo Verde, Moçambique, Timor-Leste e São Tomé e Príncipe envolveu debate entre os participantes e dois procuradores portugueses experientes. Estes esclareceram os aspectos práticos da adopção e aplicação dos mecanismos do confisco civil nos respectivos países. O Dia 3, igualmente em formato presencial e com as referidas delegações, apresentou aos participantes a experiência do Peru na aplicação do seu regime de extinção de domínio NCBF para confiscar bens tanto a nível nacional como internacional através de auxílio judiciário mútuo. Parte desta partilha de conhecimentos incluiu o enfoque na jurisprudência emergente em relação à aplicação da lei de extinção de domínio do Peru. Em última análise, estes conhecimentos certamente ajudarão os participantes a conceber e implementar mecanismos eficazes e apropriados de confisco civil na respectiva legislação, bem como a colmatar lacunas na legislação existente em matéria de confisco criminal. Pontos-Chave Uma das principais conclusões foi que a legislação penal existente sobre confisco de bens precisa de ser melhorada para permitir que os mecanismos de perda sem condenação criminal já existentes sejam efectivamente aplicados nos processos. Um exemplo é que as vantagens e não apenas os instrumentos e o produto do crime, devem poder ser confiscados através da perda sem condenação criminal em todos os países - algo que ainda não está previsto em na legislação de alguns dos países beneficiários. Melhorar e harmonizar os mecanismos de confisco criminal reforçaria a eficácia do confisco nos processos criminais. Isto permitiria aos países examinar a possibilidade do confisco civil para situações que não podem ser resolvidas num processo penal mesmo utilizando os mecanismos existentes. Outras conclusões retiradas: Deve ser assegurado o devido processo nos casos de confisco civil incluindo a garantia de um procedimento contraditório de modo a salvaguardar o respeito pelos direitos de propriedade. Os direitos dos terceiros de boa fé são amplamente garantidos e reconhecidos na legislação penal existente em todos os países. É necessário deixar claro que o mesmo princípio se aplica aos processos de confisco civil. Nos casos de confisco civil é aplicado o padrão civil de prova equilíbrio de probabilidades , que é uma diferença fundamental em relação aos processos penais. Alguns códigos penais existentes já permitem que o confisco seja determinado com base no padrão civil de equilíbrio de probabilidades. A sua aplicação na prática já permitirá que os actores judiciais confisquem mais bens ilícitos. A natureza jurídica do confisco civil continua a ser um tema de debate – em particular, a ideia de que o confisco não é uma sanção, sendo, portanto, admissível o confisco civil. Uma iniciativa mundial A Conferência é apoiada pelo Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs INL do Departamento de Estado dos Estados Unidos, no âmbito do programa mais vasto: Apoio à adopção de legislação de confisco civil como ferramenta para a recuperação de activos. O Basel Institute on Governance está a implementar o programa de dois anos, que procura ajudar as autoridades de 10 países a aumentar a sua capacidade de recuperar bens roubados através de legislação eficaz e apropriada do confisco civil. A Conferência de Lisboa foi a primeira reunião presencial da Comunidade de Aprendizagem e Conhecimento criada pelo programa entre os países de língua portuguesa. A Comunidade e um espaço para os participantes trocarem experiências sobre a utilização de métodos de confisco civil, analisar e debater os desafios e benefícios dessas leis para a recuperação de bens, e divulgar as melhores práticas. Servirá como um excelente fórum para trabalhar sobre as necessidades identificadas na conferência, de modo a melhorar e harmonizar os mecanismos de confiscação existentes entre os países. Representando os Estados Unidos na Conferência, Tamara Schuman, Conselheira Geral Adjunta, Federal Bureau of Investigation salientou que os EUA utilizam extensivamente as leis do confisco civil NCBF , afirmando O confisco civil NCBF é um instrumento crítico para a recuperação de activos, particularmente nos casos em que os rendimentos são transferidos para o estrangeiro ou em que foram feitas tentativas para esconder a propriedade. De facto, em muitos casos, é o único mecanismo à disposição dos procuradores e das autoridades policiais para recuperar o produto do crime e restaurar a justiça às vítimas... A promulgação e utilização de leis de confisco civil NCBF proporcionará oportunidades adicionais para prosseguir a justiça nos vossos países e para construir alianças estratégicas, cooperação e parcerias internacionais. Um complemento essencial para outros mecanismos de recuperação de bens As leis de confisco civil existem há muitos anos em vários países sob uma grande variedade de formas. Tratados internacionais tais como a Convenção das Nações Unidas contra a Corrupção UNCAC e organismos de normalização tais como o Grupo de Acção Financeira Internacional GAFI apoiam tais leis como um complemento crítico a outros mecanismos de recuperação de activos. Como Iker Lekuona, Chefe de Programas do ICAR, afirmou nos comentários de abertura da Conferência de Lisboa: As leis de confisco civil são particularmente poderosas nos casos de corrupção, onde é muitas vezes impossível rastrear o produto da corrupção até um acto de corrupção específico. Ao aumentar as possibilidades das autoridades para recuperar o produto da corrupção e de outros crimes, tais leis também ajudam a assegurar que 'o crime não compensa'. Desta forma, ajudam a dissuadir a corrupção e, em última análise, a aumentar a confiança dos cidadãos no Estado. Apesar da sua promessa, as leis de confisco civil ainda não são amplamente utilizadas nos países de língua portuguesa. Embora alguns mecanismos de perda ou confisco sem condenação se encontrem nos códigos penais ou outras leis de Angola, Cabo Verde, Moçambique e Timor-Leste, as disposições em alguns casos estão limitadas aos instrumentos e produto e noutros, que já incluem as vantagens, não são efectivamente aplicadas.. Portugal, por seu turno, tem os mecanismos de perda ou confisco sem condenação criminal e possui experiência na sua aplicação. A introdução de formas cada vez mais poderosas de perda ou confisco na legislação dos países de língua portuguesa certamente trará maior capacidade de recuperação de bens ilícitos em benefício dos cidadãos. Mais Veja o breve relatório e recomendações. Veja a lista de reprodução da conferência no YouTube. Como parte do seu apoio contínuo a Moçambique e outros países de língua portuguesa na luta contra a corrupção e recuperação de bens, o Basel Institute disponibilizou vários dos seus guias rápidos e cursos de eLearning em português. Encontre-os em: learn.baselgovernance.org mudar a língua do website para português . A Conferência é uma oferta do Governo dos Estados Unidos. A Conferência e os materiais são financiados por uma subvenção do Departamento de Estado dos Estados Unidos. As opiniões, argumentos e conclusões expressas são as dos indivíduos e não reflectem necessariamente as do Departamento de Estado dos Estados Unidos.
Lisbon Conference 2022: Lusophone countries come together to expand the asset recovery toolbox
Ver versão portuguesa. National authorities in Lusophone countries, including Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Timor-Leste, have taken an important step forward in exploring the potential of civil confiscation laws to recover illicit assets. The Lisbon Conference on 5-7 July 2022 saw high-level representatives from these countries come together with international experts. Together, they explored non-conviction based forfeiture NCBF laws – mechanisms to seize and confiscate proceeds of corruption and other crimes when a criminal conviction is not possible. The Conference sought to broaden and extend understanding of NCBF and its application in Lusophone countries among the approximately 200 participating prosecutors, judges, researchers, academics, lawyers and others. The delegations from Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Timor-Leste included representatives from the Parliament, Supreme Court, Ministry of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Financial Intelligence Unit, and others. The Office of the Attorney General of São Tomé and Príncipe also sent a delegation. This broad international representation, at the highest levels, was important. Political will, trust and cooperation across institutions and borders are crucial to developing and implementing such laws. Debates and perspectives over three days Day 1 of the Conference took place at the Auditorium of the Portuguese Judicial Police and was also attended by the Attorney General of Portugal. Eight international experts addressed topics including the importance of asset recovery in fighting corruption and how international cooperation in NCBF cases works in practice. This day was also open to virtual participation, with over 110 anti-corruption practitioners dialling in from Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Portugal and Timor-Leste. Day 2 involved structured face-to-face discussions between the country participants and experienced Portuguese prosecutors. These unpacked the practical aspects of adopting and applying NCBF mechanisms in the respective countries. Day 3 introduced participants to Peru’s experience in the application of its extinción de dominio NCBF regime to confiscate assets domestically as well as internationally through mutual legal assistance. Part of this knowledge transfer included focusing on the emerging jurisprudence in relation to the application of Peru’s NCBF law. Ultimately, this knowledge should help participants to design and implement effective, appropriate NCBF mechanisms in civil legislation, as well as remedy gaps in existing criminal confiscation legislation. Key takeaways A major takeaway was that existing criminal legislation on asset forfeiture needs to be improved to enable the NBCF mechanisms that already exist in this legislation to be effectively applied in criminal cases. One example is that proceeds of crime, and not only instrumentalities of crime, should be eligible to be forfeited through NCBF processes in all countries – something that is not currently the case. Improving and harmonising existing forfeiture mechanisms in this way would strengthen confiscation in criminal processes. This would allow countries to examine the possibility of civil confiscation for situations that cannot be resolved in a criminal process using the existing mechanisms. Other takeaways included: Due process must be ensured in NCBF cases, including guaranteeing an adversarial procedure so as to safeguard respect for property rights. Bona fide third-party rights are widely secured and recognised in existing criminal legislation across all countries. It needs to be made clear that the same principle applies to NCBF processes. NBCF cases are determined by applying the civil standard of proof balance of probabilities , which is a key difference from criminal proceedings. Some existing criminal codes already allow for confiscation to be determined on the civil standard of balance of probabilities. Applying this in practice will already allow judicial actors to confiscate more illicit assets. The legal nature of confiscation is still a topic of debate – in particular, the idea that confiscation is not a sanction, and is therefore a doorway to civil confiscation. A worldwide initiative The Conference is supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs INL of the U.S. Department of State, under the wider programme: Supporting stakeholders in adopting non-conviction based forfeiture as a tool for asset recovery in Portuguese: Apoio à adopção de legislação de confisco civil como ferramenta para a recuperação de activos . The Basel Institute on Governance is implementing the two-year programme, which seeks to help authorities in 10 countries increase their capacity to recover stolen assets through effective, appropriate NCBF legislation. The Lisbon Conference was the first face-to-face meeting of the Lusophone NCBF Knowledge Community and wider network established through the project. Meeting virtually until now, the Knowledge Community offers a space for participants to exchange experiences on using civil non-conviction based confiscation methods, analyse and debate the challenges and benefits of such laws for asset recovery, and disseminate best practices. It will serve as an excellent forum for working on the needs identified in the conference, such as to improve and harmonise existing forfeiture mechanisms between the countries. Representing the United States at the Conference, Tamara Schuman, Assistant General Counsel, Federal Bureau of Investigation emphasised that the U.S. uses NCBF laws extensively, saying: NCBF is a critical tool for asset recovery particularly in cases where the proceeds are transferred abroad or attempts have been made to hide ownership. In fact, in many instances it is the only mechanism at the disposal of prosecutors and law enforcement to recover the proceeds of crime and restore justice to the victims... Enacting and using NCBF laws will provide additional opportunities to pursue justice in your countries and to build strategic alliances, cooperation and international partnerships. A critical complement to other asset recovery mechanisms NCBF laws have existed for many years in several countries in a wide variety of forms. International treaties such as the UN Convention Against Corruption UNCAC and standard-setting bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force FATF support such laws as a critical complement to other asset recovery mechanisms. As Iker Lekuona, ICAR’s Head of Programmes, said in opening remarks to the Lisbon Conference: “NCBF laws are particularly powerful in corruption cases, where it is often impossible to trace proceeds of corruption back to a specific corrupt act. By increasing the possibilities of authorities to recover the proceeds of corruption and other crime, such laws also help ensure that “crime doesn’t pay”. In this way, they help to deter corruption and ultimately increase citizens’ trust towards the state.” Despite their promise, NCBF laws are not yet widely used in the Lusophone world. Though some non-conviction based mechanisms are found in the criminal codes or other laws of Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Timor-Leste, the provisions are highly restrictive and are seldom if ever implemented. Portugal, on the other hand, also has some of these mechanisms and more experience in their application. The introduction of more and more powerful forms of NCBF across the Lusophone world is expected to result in a greater ability to recover illicit assets for the benefit of citizens. More View the Conference short report and recommendations. See videos on the Conference playlist. Additional photos and a report will be available shortly on the Basel Institute website. As part of its ongoing support to Mozambique and other Lusophone countries in anti-corruption and asset recovery, the Basel Institute has made several of its quick guides and eLearning courses available in Portuguese. Find them at: learn.baselgovernance.org switch the website language to Portuguese . The Conference is a gift of the United States Government. The Conference and materials are funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
ICAR hosts International Experts Workshop on Returning Stolen Assets
On 24-25 October 2013, in coordination with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the International Centre for Asset Recovery organised and hosted a two-day workshop on the topic of "Returning Stolen Assets." The workshop took place in Küsnacht Zürich , Switzerland. The workshop is the first in a series of workshops focusing on the return of stolen assets. More than 30 participants from requesting and requested countries from around the world attended this year’s workshop with the aim to share and discuss their experiences with mechanisms applied in the repatriation of stolen assets that have successfully been traced and recovered. Presentations and discussions focused on past experiences and future considerations for increasingly closing the gaps between international standards and current practices. Key issues discussed in this context included, notably, transparency, end use, and the role of different stakeholder groups. As a background document to the workshop, a report was prepared on four asset recovery case studies in Peru, Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Angola. View the workshop agenda here.
Publications
Perda sem condenação na recuperação de ativos: Recomendações da Conferência de Lisboa – 5, 6 e 7 de Julho 2022
Este breve relatório resume as principais recomendações da Conferência de Lisboa sobre o potencial do confisco civil para recuperar bens ilícitos, que teve lugar em Lisboa, Portugal, em 5-7 de Julho de 2022. A conferência reuniu representantes de alto nível de Angola, Cabo Verde, Moçambique e Timor-Leste, juntamente com peritos internacionais.
As recomendações incluem:
- Harmonização da legislação e sua correta aplicação
- Abordagem integrada e coordenação entre as várias instituições
- Rapidez e autonomia
- Cooperação judiciária internacional
- Abordagem multidisciplinar - criação de novos mecanismos
- Investimento na formação
A conferência teve lugar no contexto do programa de Apoio à adopção de legislação de confisco civil como ferramenta para a recuperação de activos. O programa e uma iniciativa do International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) do Basel Institute on Governance, financiado pelo Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs do Departamento de Estado dos EUA, que explora o potencial de inovação na recuperação de bens através de mecanismos de perda/confisco sem condenação.
Non-conviction based forfeiture as a tool for asset recovery: Recommendations of the Lisbon Conference, 5 –7 July 2022
This short report summarises key recommendations from the Lisbon Conference on non-conviction based forfeiture (NCBF) as a tool for asset recovery, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal on 5–7 July 2022. The conference gathered high-level representatives from Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Timor-Leste, together with international experts.
The recommendations include:
- Harmonisation of legislation and its proper implementation
- Integrated approach and coordination between institutions
- Speed and autonomy
- International judicial cooperation
- Multidisciplinary approach – creating new mechanisms
- Investment in training
The aim is to guide judicial authorities and law enforcement in applying effective, integrated and coordinated approaches to asset recovery.
The conference took place in the context of the “Supporting stakeholders in adopting non-conviction based forfeiture as a tool for asset recovery” programme, an initiative of the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) of the Basel Institute on Governance. Funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the US Department of State, the programe explores the potential for innovation in asset recovery through non-conviction based forfeiture (NBCF) mechanisms.
Note: This document is a translation of the original Portuguese post-conference recommendations.
Returning Stolen Assets - Learning from past practice
Before the adoption of UNCAC, there was no policy or international legal framework guiding the disposal and monitoring of repatriated assets. As a result, there were no globally accepted rules to follow when repatriating confiscated assets to requesting countries.
Even after the adoption of UNCAC, global practice regarding the disposal of repatriated assets remains unclear. Indeed Article 57 (5) of UNCAC does not provide clear guidance in relation to the final disposal of confiscated assets.
The selected case studies in Peru, Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Angola explore the proactive and innovative practice of Switzerland in the past decade in recovering, repatriating and monitoring stolen assets.
These four cases, which are different from various aspects, in particular the types of the mechanism of monitoring, are insightful and yield some important lessons. The lessons drawn in the respective cases highlight the successes achieved as well as some challenges encountered. The Swiss experience has influenced reflection on existing policies and legislation regarding the disposal and monitoring of repatriated assets, including in the context of the introduction by the Federal Council of the Restitution of Illicit Assets Act (RIAA 2011) and, in May 2013, the opening of a consultation procedure on the draft of a new federal act on the freezing and restitution of potentates’ assets.
This selection of case studies has been drafted as background document to the two-day workshop on Returning Stolen Assets, organised by the Basel Institute on Governance’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) in collaboration with the Directorate for Public International Law of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA/DPIL) in October 2013 in Küsnacht/Zürich, Switzerland.