Pursuant to an agreement signed in August 2014 between the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (GPO) and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), the ICAR conducted its second 5-day training workshop entitled “Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery”. The workshop was held at the National Academy of Prosecutors of Ukraine in Kyiv during the period 27 – 31 July 2015 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The first workshop took place in January 2015.

The 25 participants included prosecutors and investigators from various departments and divisions of the GPO such as the Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Main Investigation Department and International Co-operation Division of the Department for International Legal Co-operation, as well as representatives of the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine (SFMS). This provided opportunities for networking and interaction between GPO investigators and prosecutors and SFMS representatives, and emphasised the importance of using the anti-money laundering framework during financial crime investigations.

The aim of the workshop was to enhance local capacity to investigate and prosecute complex corruption and money laundering cases, and locate/recover stolen assets, particularly those hidden abroad. Significant changes have been introduced in recent years in Ukraine through the promulgation of the new Criminal Procedure Code and anti-money laundering legislation, and amendments to the Criminal Code. This represents a major reform to the Ukrainian criminal justice system, with prosecutors now facing the challenge of implementing the changes and securing international co-operation in the interests of recovering stolen assets.