The Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) offers a five-day online or in-person training course on financial investigations and asset recovery for civil society organisations, investigative journalists and other professionals outside government.

These actors play an increasingly critical role in exposing financial misconduct, monitoring the use of public resources and supporting accountability efforts. Asset recovery – i.e. ensuring that stolen public funds are traced, returned and used for their intended purpose – is a key part of that effort.

For civil society, investigative journalists and other non-state actors, understanding asset recovery strengthens their ability to follow cases, ask the right questions and push for tangible outcomes.

Learning objectives

This course equips participants with the knowledge and tools to identify and analyse potential illicit financial activity, and to understand the asset recovery process from start to finish. This includes detection and intelligence gathering, investigation, judicial proceedings, confiscation and asset management, as well as the challenges that arise at each stage. Participants learn to:

• Identify and trace illicit assets using open-source intelligence (OSINT)
• Analyse financial and corporate information
• Understand how financial investigations and asset recovery are conducted in practice 
• Recognise the challenges faced by law enforcement in pursuing financial crime
• Understand their role as non-state actors in supporting asset recovery efforts
  confiscation of assets.

By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to contribute to asset recovery efforts as informed and effective non-state actors. They will be able to conduct advocacy, monitoring and investigative reporting, and engage more confidently in detection efforts and whistleblowing processes.

The case

Participants work in groups on a simulated corruption case involving a senior public official in the health sector. The suspect has embezzled public funds intended for the construction of a hospital and used them to acquire assets both domestically and abroad.

Working through the case, participants analyse financial information and leads provided by a whistleblower. They use open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools to identify and trace assets, and explore how information and evidence can be obtained across borders through both informal channels and formal mutual legal assistance (MLA) processes.

Lectures and guided discussions equip participants with the skills and knowledge to complete the simulated investigation.

Course details

• Target audience: Members of civil society organisations and investigative journalists, plus other professionals with a relevant interest in asset recovery.
• Participants: 25–35 on site; up to 20 virtually.
• Delivery: Instructor-led course delivered on site or virtually. The course combines lectures, guided discussions and practical group work based on a simulated corruption case.
• Timing: 5 days.
• Language: English; French possible for group bookings.
• Costs: To be confirmed. For more information, contact training@baselgovernance.org.
• Certificate: Provided to participants who attend for the full duration of the course.

Who are the trainers?

This course is led by members of our ICAR training team: international financial investigation and asset recovery specialists with in-depth knowledge and long-standing practical experience in multiple countries.

Availability and dates

The courses take place in four-hour virtual sessions over five days, with breaks.

For more information, contact training@baselgovernance.org.

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