From 27 to 31 October 2014, the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of South Africa (ARINSA), the Financial Intelligence Unit of Lesotho and the International Center of Asset Recovery (ICAR) conducted a joint Workshop for Prosecutors and Investigators on Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering in Tayetayeneng, Lesotho.

The workshop programme was designed to raise awareness of proceeds of crime and money laundering, incorporating practical training sessions on a number of relevant topics.

Federico Paesano, Senior Financial Investigations Specialist at the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) participated in the 5th Annual General Meeting of the Global Focal Points Network in Vienna during 9-10 October 2014. The event was organised by the World Bank and UNODC’s Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative (StAR) and Interpol.

He was invited to participate, together with three other experts, on a panel covering the topic “Recovering of Assets in the Cyber Era.”

From 8 –12 September 2014, the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of South Africa (ARINSA), the United Nations Office on Drugs (UNODC) and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) conducted a joint workshop for prosecutors and investigators on Recovering the Proceeds from Wildlife and Forest Crimes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The workshop programme was designed to strengthen the capacity of prosecutors and investigators in recovering proceeds from wildlife and forest crimes. Some 60 participants from a number of government agencies of Tanzania attended the workshop.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (GPO) mandated the Basel Institute on Governance’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) to assist with tracing and recovering assets stolen by former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych and his inner circle. The agreement was signed on Monday, 11 August 2014, in Kyiv by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Mr Vitaliy Yarema, and Basel Institute Managing Director Ms Gretta Fenner.

The Basel Institute has created a new information platform focusing on the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in recovering stolen assets.

Initially developed in the context of the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery, the interactive guide is applicable to all CSOs interested in playing a more active role in asset recovery, through advocacy, awareness raising, investigations and in the return of assets.

See cso.assetrecovery.org.

In recognition of the Basel Institute on Governance having received the mandate from the B20 Task Force on Anti-Corruption and Transparency in June 2013 to host the B20 Collective Action Hub, working along with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), further reinforcing their collaboration in this endeavour. 

At the end of December 2013, the Independent Governance Committee (IGC) under the leadership of Prof. Mark Pieth formally completed its task of overseeing the FIFA reform process after more than two years of work.

During this time, the IGC, a group consisting of renowned governance experts and football stakeholders, submitted concrete recommendations for reforms relating to greater transparency, financial controls, accountability and ethical conduct.

The Basel Institute, as a founding Board member of the WEF's Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI), supports the announcements on new WEF led anti-corruption programmes made in Davos this week.

See the press release.

Within the context of the “Engaged Citizenry for Responsible Governance” project, funded by the USAID, experts from the Basel Institute’s public governance division conducted two training workshops for representatives of civil society organizations (CSO) in Yerevan, Armenia, from 4 – 8 May 2015.