Five practitioners from Ukraine’s leading anti-corruption institutions have been certified as national trainers in financial investigations and asset recovery following their successful completion of the Train-the-Trainer programme of our International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR).

The group includes Andrii Kasian, Rostyslav Batih and Serhii Podhorets from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), Oleksii Geiko from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Oleksii Kravchuk from the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC). Congratulations to all.

Amid the ongoing full-scale invasion, Ukraine and its international partners continue to invest in long-term solutions to strengthen the fight against corruption. The certification of these trainers marks an important step towards embedding sustainable, practitioner-led training across national anti-corruption institutions.

It also brings a valuable secondary impact: as practitioners themselves, the trainers are well placed to promote and apply innovative approaches to investigations and asset recovery within their institutions.

Investing in local capacity

Across four financial investigation and asset recovery workshops, which began in June 2024, the newly certified trainers received close mentoring from our ICAR training team. During the process, they gradually progressed from co-facilitators to fully independent trainers.

In the final workshop, they successfully delivered the programme to 25 peers from their own institutions. This brings the total number of anti-corruption practitioners trained during the programme to 102.

With certification now complete, the newly qualified trainers are expected to lead further sessions in the coming months.

Practical, immersive and localised

ICAR's methodology is built around realistic case simulations that mirror the complexity of actual financial investigations. Participants analyse documents, follow leads and justify evidence requests from foreign counterparts. This enables them to develop the mindset and skills needed to tackle real cases.

A key aim of the Train-the-Trainer programme was to ensure this approach could be effectively localised and delivered by Ukrainian professionals. When taught by national practitioners who understand the legal and institutional context, the methodology becomes even more relevant and impactful.

One participant from the final workshop described the training as

“a chance to piece together knowledge like a puzzle and sharpen judgement like a diamond being polished”.

Another commented:

“It was probably the best and most practical training I’ve attended in recent years.”

From training to practice: dual impact

Beyond their new role, the certified trainers are experienced practitioners embedded in key anti-corruption institutions in Ukraine. This dual role enables them to reinforce training messages through daily casework and to champion innovative practices from within. All trainers noted that they are currently testing and promoting new tools, including standalone money laundering prosecutions, the use of circumstantial evidence and a "follow the money" approach that reduces reliance on direct proof of financial crimes like bribery.

One trainer reflected that the sessions provided:

“structured knowledge of money laundering that I used in one of my cases”.

They also noted the training offered

“clear guidance to work through lengthy civil confiscation materials, which come in constantly.”

Beyond improving casework, the opportunity to train others was described as a chance to

“test and discuss ideas, receive additional knowledge of the subject and valuable points of view from other specialists in the same field of work.”

Now equipped to deliver training, and with further workshops planned, they are bridging training and practice. Their work is helping to embed good practices in their institutions and shape how complex financial crime cases are tackled in Ukraine.

About the training and the Basel Institute’s wider support to Ukraine

The ICAR Train-the-Trainer programme was supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through the Anti-Corruption and Asset Recovery Support Project (ACARSU). The final workshop, held on 26–30 May 2025, received additional financial and logistical support from the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

More broadly, the Basel Institute on Governance has supported Ukraine’s anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts since 2014. Our holistic programme includes:

• Helping government ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises to prevent corruption in critical sectors related to reconstruction, infrastructure and natural resources.
  Assisting with transnational corruption investigations and the recovery of assets from abroad.
  Working with investors and contractors to minimise integrity risks in construction and development cooperation projects.

This programme of work is carried out by a combination of a local team based in Kyiv and Basel Institute staff who travel regularly to Ukraine.