[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":380},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-asset-recovery-postgraduate-programme-first-cohort":3,"author-links-news-asset-recovery-postgraduate-programme-first-cohort":101,"news-asset-recovery-postgraduate-programme-first-cohort-similar":102,"i-heroicons:arrow-left-20-solid":375},[4],{"id":5,"status":6,"date_created":7,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":14,"activity":13,"nid":13,"topics":15,"activities":13,"programme":13,"area":13,"websites":18,"language":20,"image":21,"translation_of":13,"countries":33,"tags":34,"authors":96,"images":97,"translations":98,"content":99,"translations_news":100},10647,"published","2026-07-29T08:03:11.000Z","2026-07-29T08:09:52.000Z","Asset recovery postgraduate programme: Celebrating our first graduating cohort","News","How and where can a professional acquire specialised knowledge in asset recovery? A year ago, that question didn’t have an easy answer. Today, it does: with the postgraduate programme \"[CAS Combating Financial Crime Through Asset Recovery](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-asset-recovery)\", offered by the Basel Institute on Governance and the University of Basel. \n\nThis July, we were delighted to welcome the first cohort to our headquarters in Basel and host the 1.5-day hybrid closing event. \n\nHere are a few highlights from the programme, and what participants themselves had to say about their experience.\n\n## A programme unique in its class\n\nThis Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) was developed to address a longstanding gap in postgraduate education. While aspects of asset recovery are covered in some university courses, there has until now been no similar qualification combining academic learning with practical skills.\n\nThe programme draws on more than two decades of experience from our [International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR)](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fwork\u002Fenforcement), which has worked with authorities around the world to strengthen financial investigations, asset recovery and international cooperation.\n\nGraduates receive a CAS degree from the [University of Basel](https:\u002F\u002Fadvancedstudies.unibas.ch\u002Fstudienangebot\u002Fkurs\u002Fcas-combating-financial-crime-through-asset-recovery-300795), one of Switzerland's leading universities. \n\n## A global classroom\n\nThe first cohort brought together prosecutors, investigators, lawyers, anti-money laundering specialists, development practitioners, bankers and policy professionals from 10 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe.\n\nThe online format with live sessions helped make that possible. It gave participants the flexibility to join from anywhere in the world and balance the course with their day-to-day work – and, just as importantly, to connect with peers working under completely different legal systems. That’s exactly the kind of contact that matters for international cooperation.\n\n![](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fassets\u002F50c4e6ce-a88b-4d8f-8703-ed2a39ed1bea)\n\nAs one participant from Europe explained: \n\n> The exchange with other participants working in different jurisdictions was extremely valuable. That was crucial for seeing how asset recovery is approached differently elsewhere, and what options other jurisdictions have. Asset recovery is a global issue now – money moves across the world, so you can't just sit in your office thinking everything stops at the border.\n\nThe cohort also spanned different levels of expertise, from prosecutors to lawyers working in cybercrime to people just entering the field. As another participant, who works in development cooperation, explains:\n\n> After having worked for two decades in development cooperation, I realised that if less money was lost to financial crime, countries could decide more autonomously where to invest in their own development. So I got interested in the topic of money laundering, and how we could get better at fighting it.\n\n## Learning by doing\n\nWhen we asked participants what they found most valuable or unique about the programme, the answer was always the same: its practical approach. \n\nAsset recovery is a complex discipline that spans financial investigations, international cooperation, prosecution and the management and return of confiscated assets. Professionals working in this field need not only legal knowledge, but the practical skills that can be applied across different jurisdictions and institutional settings.\n\nOver six months, the cohort engaged in interactive online sessions built around real cases and realistic simulated investigation exercises, guided by practitioners who have investigated and prosecuted financial crime themselves.\n\nA participant from Uruguay explains:\n\n> In most certifications, the focus tends to stay on theory and definitions, spending a lot of time discussing ethical and regulatory issues. But in this case, it was so case-specific and applied that by the end, you know what you have to do, you know how to investigate and you know the steps for asset recovery.\n\n## The final project: a professional opportunity\n\nThat practical focus culminates in the personal project each participant is now completing in order to graduate: a chance to advance a project from their own work, a side interest or simply an area they want to explore in more depth.\n\nOne participant is taking the programme to build up a specialised Asset Recovery Office within the Ministry of Justice. It tackles the problem that currently, competence is split between the prosecutor's office and the police, and neither magistrates nor police officers have the same view of the data. \n\nAnother participant is working on a proposal to bring public-private collaboration to her country's asset recovery efforts. She noticed a clear gap: information that should flow between the two sectors simply wasn't being exchanged. Throughout the programme, she tested her model with instructors, refining it with their feedback. Her final project now sets out how that collaboration could actually work in practice.\n\n## Discussing future career steps \n\nThe closing event was also a chance to look ahead to the careers and opportunities this certificate can open. An exclusive panel discussion showcased the breadth of career paths in combating financial crime, bringing together experts from international organisations, the public sector and private industry. \n\nThe panel featured Kodjo Attisso (Coordinator of the Illicit Finance Fusion Center – Africa at UNODC), Federica Maschera (Group Financial Crime Engagement Manager at HSBC Holdings plc), Pedro Gomes Pereira (Advisor on Anti-Corruption and Asset Recovery) and Maria Schnebli (Federal Prosecutor at the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland).\n\nThe panellists shared their career paths and challenges in the various sectors, and the steps they took to get to their current affiliations. \n\n![](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fassets\u002F3435a2ff-4289-497f-aab5-ba2e4b8c1526)\n\nMaria Schnebli also gave a keynote speech on international collaboration and the challenges of combating financial crime from a Swiss prosecutor's perspective. This tied in perfectly with the work the students had done throughout the course.\n\n## The Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund\n\nSome students in this cohort could only take the course thanks to financial support. We launched the [Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fscholarship) to help cover tuition costs for talented professionals from low-income backgrounds.\n\nWe have received, and continue to receive, generous donations from organisations and individuals alike. \n\nJulio Petrucci, a prosecutor at the Attorney General's Office of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was one of the participants who benefited. As he puts it: \n\n> To donors and benefactors, I would say that your contribution isn't just individual support for one student – it's a direct investment in justice across our countries. Thanks to your contribution, I now have the tools to investigate complex crimes and recover assets that belong to society.\n\n![](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fassets\u002F1fa76298-84af-47af-852f-e5ec0bced22b)\n\nWe are deeply grateful to our donors for making these opportunities possible, especially the [International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators](https:\u002F\u002Ffinancialcrimelitigators.org\u002F), [Bonifassi Avocats](https:\u002F\u002Fbonifassi-avocats.com\u002Fen\u002F), [Bennett Jones](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bennettjones.com\u002F), [ECO Strategic Communications](https:\u002F\u002Fecostrats.com\u002F) and [Kellerhals Carrard](https:\u002F\u002Fkellerhals-carrard.ch\u002Fen).\n\n## Another way to build capacity\n\nAs the first cohort prepares to graduate, the programme marks another step in the Basel Institute's efforts to strengthen global capacity to investigate financial crime, recover stolen assets, and build a new generation of practitioners connected through a worldwide community of practice.\n\nAlong with our second postgraduate programme, “[CAS Mastering Today’s Anti-Corruption Challenges](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-anti-corruption)”, it marks our current portfolio of practice related academic programmes to support careers, knowledge and skills development of talented international professionals and practitioners.\n\nCongratulations to all the participants of this first cohort.\n\n## Learn more\n\n::: links\n- [Discover “Combating Financial Crime Through Asset Recovery”](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-asset-recovery) -> Postgraduate programme delivered online in partnership with the University of Basel.\n- [Contribute to the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fscholarship) -> Help train the next generation of anti-corruption professionals.\n- [Discover our offer of short online training courses](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fcourses) -> Practitioner-led training focused on real-world financial crime challenges. \n:::\n","2026-07-29",null,"asset-recovery-postgraduate-programme-first-cohort",[16,17],"Asset Recovery and Enforcement","Learning and training",[19],"Main page","English",{"id":22,"storage":23,"filename_disk":24,"filename_download":25,"title":26,"type":27,"created_on":28,"modified_on":28,"charset":13,"filesize":29,"width":30,"height":31,"duration":13,"embed":13,"description":13,"location":13,"tags":13,"metadata":32,"focal_point_x":13,"focal_point_y":13,"tus_id":13,"tus_data":13,"uploaded_on":28},"226e6855-11f2-4577-b875-4dbbbe71677e","local","226e6855-11f2-4577-b875-4dbbbe71677e.png","CAS2 Closing Event thumbnail.png","Ca S2 Closing Event Thumbnail","image\u002Fpng","2026-07-29T08:02:26.000Z",2728912,2000,1200,{},[],[35,54,68,82],{"id":36,"news_id":37,"tags_id":51},6073,{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":38,"date_created":7,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":22,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":14,"activity":13,"nid":13,"topics":39,"activities":13,"programme":13,"area":13,"websites":40,"translation_of":13,"language":20,"countries":41,"tags":42,"authors":46,"images":47,"translations":48,"content":49,"translations_news":50},"115250da-6c1d-42e7-888a-fbbe909fc524",[16,17],[19],[],[36,43,44,45],6074,6075,6076,[],[],[],[],[],{"id":52,"name":53},843,"Asset recovery",{"id":43,"news_id":55,"tags_id":65},{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":38,"date_created":7,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":22,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":14,"activity":13,"nid":13,"topics":56,"activities":13,"programme":13,"area":13,"websites":57,"translation_of":13,"language":20,"countries":58,"tags":59,"authors":60,"images":61,"translations":62,"content":63,"translations_news":64},[16,17],[19],[],[36,43,44,45],[],[],[],[],[],{"id":66,"name":67},1193,"Financial investigations",{"id":44,"news_id":69,"tags_id":79},{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":38,"date_created":7,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":22,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":14,"activity":13,"nid":13,"topics":70,"activities":13,"programme":13,"area":13,"websites":71,"translation_of":13,"language":20,"countries":72,"tags":73,"authors":74,"images":75,"translations":76,"content":77,"translations_news":78},[16,17],[19],[],[36,43,44,45],[],[],[],[],[],{"id":80,"name":81},1300,"Education",{"id":45,"news_id":83,"tags_id":93},{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":38,"date_created":7,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":22,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":14,"activity":13,"nid":13,"topics":84,"activities":13,"programme":13,"area":13,"websites":85,"translation_of":13,"language":20,"countries":86,"tags":87,"authors":88,"images":89,"translations":90,"content":91,"translations_news":92},[16,17],[19],[],[36,43,44,45],[],[],[],[],[],{"id":94,"name":95},1372,"Training",[],[],[],[],[],{},[103,138,168,197,228,255,282,306,344],{"id":104,"body":105,"status":6,"type":106,"date":107,"slug":108,"title":109,"image":110,"countries":111,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":113,"nid":13,"topics":124,"activities":13,"authors":125,"images":128,"websites":130,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":131,"translation_of":13,"user_created":132,"date_created":133,"user_updated":132,"date_updated":134,"content":135,"translations_news":136,"link":137},10646,"*A joint reflection by [Iker Lekuona](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fabout\u002Fteam\u002Fiker-lekuona\u002F), Director of the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) and [Oscar Solórzano](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fabout\u002Fteam\u002Foscar-solorzano\u002F), Head of Latin America for ICAR, on how Peru is translating its commitment to combating organised crime into lasting institutional capability.*\n\nAcross Latin America, governments face mounting pressure to respond to organised crime, illicit finance and growing public concerns about security. At the same time, international development budgets are under strain.\n\nIn this environment, one question keeps resounding: how can countries build capacity to tackle complex criminal threats with greater independence and resilience?\n\nFor those of us working in asset recovery, the answer lies in institutions.\n\n## Our goal in building asset recovery capability\n\nOne of the ambitions behind ICAR’s technical assistance has always been straightforward. We want our partners to reach the point where they no longer rely on us for day-to-day operational support.\n\nOur partnerships should evolve towards higher-value strategic collaboration. Technical assistance should leave behind stronger systems, stronger expertise and stronger institutions capable of carrying the work forward independently.\n\nThis is why recent developments in Peru are particularly significant.\n\n## A strategic response to financial and organised crime\n\nUnder the leadership of Attorney General Tomás Aladino Gálvez Villegas, the Public Prosecutor's Office is implementing a series of reforms that embed financial investigation, asset recovery and institutional coordination at the heart of Peru's response to organised crime.\n\nThe reforms form part of the _Sistema Fiscal Integrado de Recuperación de Activos_ (SFIRA) or “Integrated Prosecutorial Asset Recovery System”.\n\nAt a meeting in May this year with Attorney General Gálvez and senior colleagues, we reflected on the challenges posed by modern organised crime and the need for institutions that can respond to increasingly sophisticated illicit financial flows.\n\nRegarding the intent behind the reforms, the Attorney General commented:\n\n> We cannot continue expecting different results while relying on the same institutional approaches. Organised crime has evolved, and so must we. This reform reflects our determination to move beyond declarations of intent and build the permanent capabilities that prosecutors need to confront increasingly sophisticated criminal organisations.\n\nReflecting on impact of the Basel Institute’s technical assistance through ICAR, he said:\n\n> We value the support that the Basel Institute on Governance has provided over the years, and we invite the Basel Institute, our government institutions and the wider international community to join us in this effort. Confronting organised crime is a shared challenge that requires a shared commitment. This is how we turn commitment into practical action.\n\nHaving worked closely with the Peruvian authorities for more than a decade, we believe this direction will be transformative for the country and its people. We also believe other jurisdictions can be inspired by this strategic, systemic response. We share some of the reasoning and details below.\n\n## Organised crime is a financial phenomenon\n\nPublic debates about organised crime often focus on violence or trafficking. Yet in anti-corruption and asset recovery circles, we all know that criminal organisations survive only because they are able to generate, move, conceal and reinvest enormous sums of money.\n\nThe financial dimension of organised crime has become increasingly important as criminal groups expand across borders, diversify their activities and develop closer relationships with professional facilitators and corrupt actors. Illegal mining, environmental crime, drug trafficking, corruption and money laundering are frequently connected through the same financial networks.\n\nThis is one reason why asset recovery has attracted growing attention from governments and international organisations alike.\n\n## Less-known benefits of focusing on asset recovery\n\nRecovering illicit assets is valuable in itself, not least in times of squeezed public budgets and reduced flows of development aid. Confiscated assets can be reinvested in enhancing the capabilities of law enforcement and prosecution authorities. They can also be used to compensate victims and communities affected by corruption and crime.\n\nMore importantly, the process of conducting financial investigations and pursuing illicit assets helps authorities understand how criminal networks operate, identify those who profit from them and weaken the structures that allow them to endure.\n\nThis agenda has particular relevance today because it commands broad support across political and ideological divides. Governments may disagree on many issues. The need to tackle organised crime and illicit finance is rarely one of them.\n\n## What makes the reforms innovative and impactful\n\nExperience has also shown that asset recovery cannot remain a specialised activity reserved for exceptional cases. To keep pace with increasingly sophisticated criminal organisations, countries need to move beyond isolated successes and build institutions that make financial investigation and asset recovery part of everyday prosecutorial practice.\n\nIn Peru, rather than creating another specialised unit, the Public Prosecutor's Office is building an institutional model that brings together the capabilities needed to tackle the financial dimension of organised crime in a more coordinated, multidisciplinary and sustainable way.\n\nThe model combines specialised operational support for prosecutors, strategic criminal analysis and stronger institutional coordination. At the same time, it seeks to ensure that the knowledge gained through complex investigations is progressively embedded within the organisation.\n\nThe objective goes beyond success in individual cases. The aim is to strengthen the Public Prosecutor's Office's long-term capacity to investigate, disrupt and recover the proceeds of organised crime.\n\nImportantly, the new arrangements will support both international and domestic asset recovery efforts.\n\n- International cases remain essential but often require years of litigation and cooperation across multiple jurisdictions.\n- Domestically, Peru can also do a lot to target criminal assets located within its own borders and to disrupt illicit economies that continue to fuel insecurity and corruption.\n\nAs part of this effort, the Public Prosecutor's Office is investing its own resources in the new structure, including resources linked to a [tripartite asset return agreement](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fwhere-asset-recovery-really-happens-peru-advances-landmark-restitution-initiative-2949\u002F) between Peru, Luxembourg and Switzerland that was supported by the Basel Institute through ICAR.\n\n## From technical assistance to national ownership\n\nThis institutional model reflects capabilities developed over more than a decade of operational cooperation between our ICAR team and the Public Prosecutor's Office.\n\nThrough joint work on complex investigations, both our institutions developed practical approaches to financial investigation, international asset recovery and multidisciplinary prosecutorial support.\n\nThe current reforms seek to embed these proven capabilities within the permanent structures of the Public Prosecutor's Office. This will ensure that the knowledge accumulated through years of operational cooperation becomes part of the institution itself rather than remaining dependent on external technical assistance or individual expertise.\n\nFor donors and development partners, this matters.\n\nThe value of technical assistance cannot be measured only by assets recovered or training sessions delivered. Its deeper contribution lies in helping institutions develop the confidence, capabilities and structures needed to perform these functions independently and continuously improve them over time.\n\n## Why this matters beyond Peru\n\nEvery country must develop solutions that fit its own legal system, institutions and priorities. Yet some lessons travel well.\n\nOne is that asset recovery works best when it is integrated into broader efforts to combat organised crime rather than treated as a specialised activity operating at the margins of criminal investigations.\n\nAnother is that sustainable progress depends on institutions. Cases come and go. Leadership changes. Criminal networks evolve. Strong institutions provide continuity.\n\nPeru's reforms will not solve every challenge posed by organised crime. No single reform can. But they represent a thoughtful and ambitious attempt to strengthen the state's ability to understand, investigate and disrupt the financial foundations of criminal activity.\n\nFor us, they also represent something else: evidence that long-term partnerships can create capabilities that endure beyond any individual project. There are few better outcomes for a technical assistance programme than seeing the ideas, methods and expertise it has supported become part of the institutions it set out to strengthen.","Blog","2026-07-22","peru-asset-recovery-system","How Peru is making asset recovery a frontline tool against organised crime","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fb23a9861-35f6-48e3-9924-2df87c8e47a2?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[112],7823,[114,118,120],{"tags_id":115},{"id":116,"name":117},967,"Organised crime",{"tags_id":119},{"id":66,"name":67},{"tags_id":121},{"id":122,"name":123},1365,"Technical assistance",[16],[126,127],1390,1391,[129],6,[19],[],"545a204d-e41b-4882-afda-481ecf3fd971","2026-07-22T06:39:50.000Z","2026-07-22T18:42:11.000Z",[],[129],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fperu-asset-recovery-system",{"id":139,"body":140,"status":6,"type":106,"date":141,"slug":142,"title":143,"image":144,"countries":145,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":146,"nid":13,"topics":157,"activities":13,"authors":158,"images":160,"websites":161,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":162,"translation_of":13,"user_created":132,"date_created":163,"user_updated":132,"date_updated":164,"content":165,"translations_news":166,"link":167},10643,"Those of us dedicated to fighting financial crime were excited to see the Council of Europe’s recent [adoption of an Additional Protocol](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.coe.int\u002Fen\u002Fweb\u002Fportal\u002F-\u002Fnew-council-of-europe-treaty-to-strengthen-criminal-asset-recovery) to the Warsaw Convention, an international treaty on the prevention and control of money laundering and terrorist financing.\n\nThe Protocol, together with the Warsaw Convention, arguably represents one of the most advanced treaty frameworks on asset recovery. It elevates practices developed in more advanced jurisdictions into binding commitments and raises the baseline for all participating states.\n\nIt also requires states to rethink their approach to anti-money laundering and asset recovery in several important respects. Among others, it:\n\n-   places greater emphasis on financial investigations;\n-   strengthens the institutional architecture supporting asset recovery;\n-   obliges states to significantly improve their ability to cooperate in cross-border cases.\n\nTo achieve these objectives, it introduces a range of operational measures designed to facilitate the tracing, freezing, management and recovery of criminal assets. These include dedicated asset recovery bodies, centralised account registries and enhanced mechanisms for information sharing and international cooperation.\n\nThis short explainer highlights some of the points that we, at the Basel Institute, find most important and potentially impactful based on two decades of experience of our International Centre for Asset Recovery supporting jurisdictions around the world on anti-money laundering and asset recovery.\n\n## Why the new Protocol?\n\nThe 2005 Warsaw Convention – formally the Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure, and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism – establishes a comprehensive framework for anti-money laundering and asset recovery.\n\nIt requires its 39 States Parties to implement anti-money laundering measures, including customer due diligence, suspicious transaction reporting and Financial Intelligence Units. It also requires them to cooperate internationally to identify, trace, freeze, seize, confiscate and return criminal assets.\n\nThe need to modernise the Convention and respond to evolving forms of illicit finance, digital assets and the increasingly rapid movement of assets across borders drove the adoption of the new Protocol.\n\nThe Protocol seeks to ensure consistency with emerging international and regional standards, including the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations. It also seeks to make advanced asset recovery mechanisms developed within the European Union framework available across the wider Council of Europe space, which includes 46 European states.\n\n## Connecting financial intelligence with asset recovery and management\n\nThe Protocol's main innovation lies in the integration of **Financial Intelligence Units, Asset Recovery Offices and Asset Management Offices** into a coherent institutional architecture. The integration is designed to support rapid intervention, effective asset tracing and management, and cross-border cooperation.\n\nBy doing so, it strengthens the role of non-law enforcement actors in tracing, safeguarding and preserving the value of assets.\n\nFirst, under the Protocol, States Parties are required to establish **Asset Recovery Offices** with powers to trace assets, cooperate directly with foreign counterparts and take [immediate action](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002Fmod\u002Fpage\u002Fview.php?id=878) to preserve assets, including crypto, in cross-border cases.\n\nSecond, States Parties are also required to establish **Asset Management Offices** responsible for managing frozen and confiscated property and for cooperating with domestic and foreign authorities.\n\nThird, the Protocol also strengthens the [operational role of Financial Intelligence Units](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2019-12\u002F191023-quickguides_prod-11_g07.pdf) in asset recovery by requiring states to grant them powers to temporarily suspend transactions, accounts and business relationships. Many jurisdictions already permit the temporary suspension of suspicious transactions. However, FATF standards do not require Financial Intelligence Units to have such authority.\n\nIn practice, these reforms recognise that anti-money laundering and asset recovery are closely interconnected. Early intervention significantly increases the chances of successful asset recovery at both domestic and cross-border level.\n\nThey also emphasise that asset value must be preserved from freezing to disposal. Achieving this requires empowering specialised authorities responsible for financial intelligence, asset tracing and asset management.\n\n## Streamlining access to asset and ownership data\n\nThe Protocol requires the establishment of centralised account registries capable of identifying bank accounts, payment accounts, securities accounts, safe deposit boxes and crypto accounts, along with their beneficial owners and any persons authorised to act on behalf of account holders. Financial Intelligence Units, **Asset Recovery Offices** and other competent authorities are explicitly granted access to these mechanisms.\n\nThis creates a dedicated infrastructure for locating assets within a jurisdiction. It also allows the exchange of such information between authorities in cross-border cases.\n\nWhile centralised bank account registries already exist in many jurisdictions, they are far from universal. Moreover, where such systems do exist, they have traditionally focused on bank account information and often do not extend to other forms of financial holdings, such as securities accounts, safe-deposit boxes or crypto accounts.\n\nIn practice, this addresses a major operational bottleneck. Identifying accounts usually requires multiple requests to banks and other institutions, which increases the length of financial investigations. Centralised registries significantly improve operational efficiency by accelerating asset tracing and reducing the risk of asset dissipation before authorities can act – an approach now being extended to volatile asset classes such as cryptocurrencies.\n\n## Maximising the value of financial investigations\n\nThe Protocol establishes a comprehensive framework to prioritise and enhance asset tracing and financial investigations.\n\nThe Protocol requires competent authorities to be able to conduct financial investigations without delay, independently or alongside criminal investigations at all stages of proceedings. This includes after a confiscation order has been issued.\n\nSuch investigations are intended to be flexible in scope and may be used to identify the scale of criminal networks, trace and secure assets subject to confiscation, or gather evidence for criminal or asset recovery proceedings.\n\nThis emphasis on early and adaptable financial investigation underscores the Protocol’s objective of embedding asset tracing and recovery as a routine component of enforcement processes, while preserving discretion for competent authorities in how these tools are applied in practice.\n\n## Asset management gets the attention it deserves\n\nThe Protocol encourage states to shift away from perceptions that asset management is a secondary administrative task and instead view it as a necessary, value-preserving core function of asset recovery systems. It obligates States Parties to establish a detailed [asset management](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fresources\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg41\u002F) framework, that includes:\n\n-   **the possibility of selling seized assets before confiscation** where property is perishable, rapidly depreciating or requires specialised management that is not readily available, thereby preserving value pending the outcome of proceedings; and\n-   **measures facilitating the reuse** of seized and confiscated assets.\n\nExperience shows that preserving the value of seized assets requires more than legal powers. It also depends on having clear procedures, dedicated resources and expertise. This is particularly true for complex or newer forms of assets, such as [cryptocurrencies](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fevents\u002Fcryptoasset-management-roundtable-side-event-to-the-10th-global-conference-2956).\n\nThe practical side of asset management is an especially important consideration for many of the Basel Institute’s partner jurisdictions, where asset management has often not been prioritised until now.\n\nLessons from the field show that strong asset management depends on the combination of legal frameworks and the capacity to putting them into practice, including specialized institutions for asset management.\n\n## Practical ways to enhance international cooperation\n\nThe Protocol introduces several measures designed to strengthen international cooperation between **Financial Intelligence Units, Asset Recovery Offices and Asset Management Offices**, as well as judicial authorities. On the latter, key measures we highlight as particularly valuable include:\n\nFirst, **mandatory standard forms** for the transmission and execution of freezing and confiscation requests.\n\nAlthough model templates already exist in a number of international and regional frameworks, their use is often optional. The Protocol seeks to promote greater consistency in requests, reduce delays caused by incomplete information and facilitate more efficient cooperation between authorities.\n\nSecond, **Joint Investigation Teams** established for the purpose of tracing and recovering assets liable to confiscation.\n\nJoint Investigation Teams provide a mechanism for authorities to work together in real time, exchanging intelligence and evidence directly without relying on formal mutual legal assistance. While they are already envisaged under instruments such as United Nations Convention Against Corruption, United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and EU law, these frameworks primarily focus on the investigation of criminal offences. By contrast, the Protocol innovatively provides for Joint Investigation Teams dedicated solely to asset recovery objectives.\n\nJoint Investigation Teams dedicated to financial investigations already operate [in practice](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.eurojust.europa.eu\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002Fassets\u002Feurojust-report-money-laundering-2022.pdf), but the Protocol provides a clear legal basis and encourages more systematic reliance on them. The combination of proactive domestic investigations and cross-border teams can be a powerful tool bolster the identification and ultimate freezing of criminal assets on a broader scale.\n\n## A powerful Protocol that can inspire all States – and is hopefully not a paper tiger\n\nThe Additional Protocol marks a clear shift in asset recovery towards an intelligence-led and institutionally integrated model of enforcement that also seeks to maximise the value of criminal assets that are seized and recovered by the state.\n\nIts practical impact though, will depend less on legislative alignment than on whether states can build the specialised institutions, tools, expertise and cross-border cooperation needed to make early tracing, preservation and recovery operationally effective.\n\nDepending on existing capacity, this may require legal reform, technical assistance and targeted training. Without this, the Protocol’s significance risks remaining largely theoretical.\n\nIn any case, even beyond the Council of Europe space, the Protocol provides a clear blueprint for jurisdictions seeking to strengthen their asset recovery frameworks. Its approach is closely aligned with the principles that guide our work with partner jurisdictions outside Europe. The Protocol will provide an additional tool to support countries in designing reforms that are both ambitious and grounded in their specific legal, institutional and operational realities.\n\n[View key points (PDF).](https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F0a8ca73f-010d-4c2c-8c7c-53f344965cf4)","2026-07-14","new-asset-recovery-protocol","Is this a turning point for asset recovery success in Europe?","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fc7ee2bf1-f085-496b-8088-3f14b58ce4e3?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[147,151,155],{"tags_id":148},{"id":149,"name":150},818,"Anti-money laundering",{"tags_id":152},{"id":153,"name":154},858,"Asset management",{"tags_id":156},{"id":66,"name":67},[16],[159],1387,[],[19],[],"2026-07-14T15:13:14.000Z","2026-07-16T06:51:22.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fnew-asset-recovery-protocol",{"id":169,"body":170,"status":6,"type":10,"date":171,"slug":172,"title":173,"image":174,"countries":175,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":176,"nid":13,"topics":187,"activities":13,"authors":188,"images":189,"websites":190,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":191,"translation_of":13,"user_created":38,"date_created":192,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":193,"content":194,"translations_news":195,"link":196},10642,"As part of a wider Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme, our International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) has concluded a successful nine-month [train-the-trainer (TTT) programme](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Ftraining\u002Ftrain-the-trainer) in Bucharest.\n\nAlongside delivering foundational money laundering and asset recovery training to 125 practitioners in total, the programme has certified six new local trainers. Equipped with ICAR’s unique training methodology, they are now ready to independently train their peers and help strengthen financial investigation and asset recovery capacity across Romania.\n\n## Building sustainable national capacity\n\nThe six trainers certified through the programme include one judge, four prosecutors and one representative of the National Agency for the Management of Seized Assets (ANABI). Fully independently, they will now deliver a further 15 workshops across the country. \n\nThis effort will effectively bring the total number of practitioners trained to around 500, including judges, prosecutors, specialists, ANABI inspectors and other relevant practitioners.\n\nThis is a clear example of how train-the-trainer programmes are a proven approach to building sustainable national capacity. On one side, certified local trainers help ensure that knowledge and skills continue to be transferred even after a programme concludes. On the other side, participants benefit far more from learning from peers who understand their specific challenges and possibilities. \n\n![](https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F6e8e2abf-4837-4223-ac15-104e535cf8ff)\n\n## Two critical legal tools in focus\n\nThis time, the programme placed particular emphasis on two areas where practitioners can strengthen their response to financial crime: treating money laundering as a standalone offence and launching financial investigations from the earliest stages of a case.\n\n### 1. The standalone money laundering offence\n\nA persistent challenge in money laundering investigations is the assumption that prosecutors must first prove or secure a conviction before pursuing money laundering charges.\n\nUnder the Council of Europe's Warsaw Convention (CETS No. 198, Art. 9) and EU Directive (EU) 2018\u002F1673 on combating money laundering by criminal law, a conviction for money laundering actually requires neither a prior nor a simultaneous conviction for the predicate offence, nor that the predicate offence be established or identified with precision: prosecutors need only show that the property derives from criminal activity, not which specific crime generated it.\n\nAs one of the newly certified trainers reflected:\n\n> I highly valued the new perspective of setting aside the old view of placement, layering and integrating the proceeds of a crime in order to prove money laundering. […] It was very useful the approach of covering as many areas as possible impacted by money laundering, like crypto assets, which I did not know almost anything about before, and asset recovery, which is not a topic very much considered in our practice. I was also very impressed how the concept of multi-stakeholder approach in fighting ML was reflected in setting up the groups for the practical exercise.\n\n### 2. Systematic use of parallel financial investigations\n\nAnother important approach is the systematic use of parallel financial investigations to identify and trace criminal assets from the outset of a case.\n\nThis approach is now required under Directive (EU) 2024\u002F1260 on asset recovery and confiscation, which obliges Member States to launch asset-tracing investigations alongside criminal investigations into high-revenue-generating crime, rather than waiting for a conviction before tracing assets. \n\nThis shift is already visible in practice. One trainer wrote:\n\n> I started talking to my colleagues about financial investigations and money laundering. I managed to send to court my first money laundering case, though not standalone, and I also started asking the police to start financial investigations from the beginning of the file.\n\n## From training to real cases\n\nThe effect of our training has also reached institutional level. One trainer reported:\n\n> The management has started disseminating theoretical and practical materials on these topics, organising meetings and training sessions with practitioners and academics, and actively encouraging prosecutors to consider money laundering and asset recovery aspects in their cases. These initiatives have facilitated increased awareness and engagement within the institution.\n\nThis is exactly the dual impact we seek through the Train-the-Trainer model: a sustainable, independently delivered training capacity, paired with a genuine shift in how practitioners approach financial investigations in their daily work and how their institutions prioritise it. \n\nWith the first independently delivered workshops planned for September 2026, our ICAR training team looks forward to following the six newly certified trainers and seeing their work generate further impact across Romania.\n\n## About the programme\n\nThis TTT was part of the Component 3 of a larger Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme *Strengthening the institutional capacity in the area of financial investigations and asset recovery* (FIARS). \n\nThis component is implemented by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PICCJ) as component operator, in partnership with the National Institute of Magistracy (INM) and the Basel Institute on Governance as the Swiss partner. \n","2026-06-30","six-new-certified-trainers-in-romania","Six new certified trainers will scale financial investigation and asset recovery capacity in Romania","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F01933814-65b1-456f-b042-211e39e191ab?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[177,179,183,185],{"tags_id":178},{"id":52,"name":53},{"tags_id":180},{"id":181,"name":182},854,"Virtual assets",{"tags_id":184},{"id":66,"name":67},{"tags_id":186},{"id":94,"name":95},[16,17],[],[],[19],[],"2026-06-29T15:17:08.000Z","2026-07-01T12:29:22.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fsix-new-certified-trainers-in-romania",{"id":198,"body":199,"status":6,"type":106,"date":200,"slug":201,"title":202,"image":203,"countries":204,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":205,"nid":13,"topics":218,"activities":13,"authors":219,"images":220,"websites":221,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":222,"translation_of":13,"user_created":38,"date_created":223,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":224,"content":225,"translations_news":226,"link":227},10641,"For victims of corruption and related human rights abuses, justice is often out of reach. Courts may be compromised, prosecutors unwilling to act and political leaders implicated in the wrongdoing. In such cases, corruption sanctions cannot deliver justice on their own. They may, however, provide something else: accountability, recognition and consequences.\n\nThese questions were at the heart of a Basel Institute on Governance webinar marking the launch of the working paper [Corruption sanctions: What governments need to know](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fresources\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-62). \n\nCommissioned by the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) and written by Dr Anton Moiseienko, the paper examines how governments can use corruption sanctions more strategically as part of wider anti-corruption efforts.\n\nAndrew Dornbierer, Head of Policy and Research at ICAR moderated the online launch event bringing together experts with experience across sanctions policy, litigation, advocacy and victims' rights. Dr Anton Moiseienko was joined by **Sir William Browder** KCMG, CEO of Hermitage Capital and Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, **Michael O'Kane**, Senior Partner at Peters & Peters, and **Lyra Nightingale**, Senior Legal Advisor at REDRESS.\n\n## Recognition matters\n\nSanctions are often judged by whether they change behaviour, recover assets or deter future wrongdoing. Lyra Nightingale argued that this overlooks another form of impact.\n\n> If a targeted sanction, such as a corruption sanction, can convey recognition, acknowledgement and some sense of justice for victims, it has already had an impact.\n\nDrawing on [REDRESS](https:\u002F\u002Fredress.org\u002F)'s work with survivors of torture and other serious abuses linked to corruption, Nightingale described how sanctions can validate victims' experiences and demonstrate international solidarity when other routes to justice have failed.\n\nExamples from Iran and Angola illustrated the point. Victims and civil society groups viewed sanctions not simply as restrictions imposed on perpetrators, but as public acknowledgement that wrongdoing had occurred and that it mattered.\n\nSanctions cannot provide a complete remedy, but they help signal that impunity is not absolute.\n\n## Success means different things\n\nA recurring theme throughout the webinar was that sanctions are expected to achieve many things at once.\n\nMoiseienko argued that governments use corruption sanctions for a range of purposes: disrupting access to international financial systems, deterring future misconduct, condemning wrongdoing and supporting accountability efforts. Given this broad scope:\n\n> It would be perverse to conclude that if corruption does not stop, sanctions have failed.\n\nThat observation goes to the heart of the debate. Corruption sanctions are often directed at the most powerful and entrenched offenders. Eliminating corruption entirely is rarely a realistic objective. The more relevant question is whether sanctions increase pressure, restrict opportunities and support broader accountability efforts.\n\nThe answer depends on what governments are trying to achieve.\n\n## Do sanctions work?\n\nHere the panellists diverged. Drawing on years of experience representing sanctioned individuals, Michael O'Kane cautioned against assuming that sanctions automatically produce meaningful results.\n\n> For some people, sanctions are profoundly impactful. For others, they are not particularly impactful at all.\n\nHe argued that sanctions are most effective when they form part of a broader strategy that includes enforcement, asset recovery and clear incentives for behavioural change.\n\nSir William Browder took a more forceful view. Reflecting on Russia's response to Magnitsky sanctions, he pointed to the extraordinary lengths taken to challenge and discredit the measures.\n\n> So we know that we hit the Achilles' heel.\n\nFor Browder, the reaction itself is evidence of effectiveness. Sanctions restrict access to assets, travel and international financial networks. They also create uncertainty among others who may fear becoming targets themselves.\n\nThe disagreement was less about whether sanctions matter than about how much they can achieve on their own.\n\n## Legitimacy is part of effectiveness\n\nThe discussion repeatedly returned to legitimacy. Several speakers warned that sanctions derive much of their power from public confidence in their fairness and credibility. If they are perceived as arbitrary or politically motivated, their effectiveness may weaken over time.\n\nMoiseienko argued that governments should resist the temptation to use sanctions indiscriminately.\n\n> The moment governments begin to look trigger-happy, indiscriminate or undisciplined in their use of sanctions, confidence in the entire system risks collapsing.\n\nQuestions of transparency, evidence and due process therefore matter not only for legal reasons but also for practical ones. The legitimacy of sanctions is one of their greatest strengths. It can also be one of their greatest vulnerabilities.\n\n## An evolving tool\n\nCorruption sanctions are now firmly established in the international anti-corruption landscape. Yet many of the questions surrounding them remain unresolved.\n\n- How should success be measured? \n- What role should sanctions play alongside criminal investigations and asset recovery efforts? \n- How can governments maintain public confidence while responding to evolving geopolitical pressures?\n\nAs Andrew Dornbierer noted:\n\n> Corruption sanctions are still a relatively new area of law and policy, and there will undoubtedly be significant developments in the years ahead.\n\nThe webinar offered no single answer to these questions, but gave a sense of both the promise and the limitations of corruption sanctions. They are neither a cure-all nor a symbolic gesture. Used strategically, they can support accountability, recognise victims and increase pressure on those who have long operated with impunity.\n\n## Learn more\n\n::: links\n- [Working Paper \"Corruption sanctions: What governments need to know\"](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fresources\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-62\u002F) -> For policymakers grappling with these challenges, this Basel Institute’s Working Paper provides a valuable starting point.\n- [Quick Guide to corruption sanctions](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fresources\u002Fpublications\u002Fquick-guide-43-corruption-sanctions\u002F) -> For an easy introduction to the concept.\n- [Webinar recording](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=_f0QsTApi-Q) -> Watch the full webinar on YouTube.\n\n:::\n","2026-06-29","what-can-corruption-sanctions-really-achieve","What can corruption sanctions really achieve?","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fc90f580e-cc4c-447f-bc5f-75d98c3eebd4?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[206,210,214],{"tags_id":207},{"id":208,"name":209},1227,"Sanctions",{"tags_id":211},{"id":212,"name":213},1374,"Law enforcement",{"tags_id":215},{"id":216,"name":217},982,"Anti-corruption",[16],[],[],[19],[],"2026-06-29T08:18:19.000Z","2026-06-29T09:25:35.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fwhat-can-corruption-sanctions-really-achieve",{"id":229,"body":230,"status":6,"type":106,"date":231,"slug":232,"title":233,"image":234,"countries":235,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":236,"nid":13,"topics":243,"activities":13,"authors":244,"images":247,"websites":248,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":249,"translation_of":13,"user_created":38,"date_created":250,"user_updated":38,"date_updated":251,"content":252,"translations_news":253,"link":254},10637,"_Investigative journalists and civil society organisations are often the first to uncover corruption, suspicious financial flows and hidden assets. But turning those discoveries into successful financial investigations and recovered assets requires specialised knowledge that many practitioners have never had the opportunity to acquire._\n\n_To help bridge this gap, the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) has developed a new training course on [Asset Recovery for Civil Society and Journalists](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fcourses\u002Fasset-recovery)._ \n\n_Combining practical exercises, open-source intelligence techniques and a realistic corruption case simulation, the course equips participants with a deeper understanding of how assets are traced, investigated and ultimately recovered._\n\n_In this Q&A, ICAR trainers Tom Walugembe and Emmanuel Mringo explain why the training was developed, what makes its approach distinctive, who it is designed for and the impact they hope participants will have after completing it._\n\n## What specific gap or need led to the development of this course for civil society and investigative journalists?\n\nIn the past two decades we have seen major financial crime scandals, such as the Panama and Pandora Papers leaks, in which efforts by organisations like the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have led to financial crime investigations and prosecutions. \n\nYet in many parts of the world, journalists and other non-state actors like civil society organisations (CSOs) are under-equipped with the knowledge of asset recovery processes needed to carry out their core work effectively. \n\nFor CSOs, that often includes advocacy for policy reform. For journalists, it means evidence-based investigative reporting, as well as the skills to trace illicit financial flows, understand money laundering typologies and gather actionable information whose exposure can trigger financial investigations and lead to the recovery of stolen assets.\n\nThere is international recognition of their importance in the fight against corruption – e.g., [Article 13 of the UN Convention Against Corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Fdocuments\u002Fbrussels\u002FUN_Convention_Against_Corruption.pdf), which requires state parties to take measures to promote the participation of CSOs and individuals in the fight against corruption. \n\nBut when it comes to investigating and recovering proceeds of corruption, there is little or no targeted training to enable CSOs and journalists to play this role effectively. We developed the course to address these capacity gaps.\n\n## How does this course fit within and complement ICAR’s wider training and learning offer?\n\nThis course complements [ICAR’s broader training portfolio](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Ftraining) by broadening its traditional audience. \n\nICAR training programmes focus heavily on law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, financial intelligence units and judicial authorities.\n\nThis new module extends ICAR’s reach to non-state actors while aligning with ICAR’s uniquely effective methodology and offerings. It also integrates with [Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-learn), the Basel Institute’s online learning platform, which enables blended learning and pre-course preparation. \n\nThe course emphasises core ICAR themes, including parallel financial investigations, international cooperation, and asset tracing, freezing and confiscation.\n\n## And ICAR’s postgraduate programmes on asset recovery?\n\nUnlike the ICAR-led Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programme on [Combating Financial Crime Through Asset Recovery](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-asset-recovery\u002F), this is a short professional training course rather than a university-accredited academic programme.\n\nThe CAS programmes, delivered in partnership with the University of Basel, run over six months and require around 300 hours of study. By contrast, this course provides a focused, accessible introduction to asset recovery concepts and practical skills. \n\nThe aim is to enable individuals to strengthen their contribution to transparency, accountability and anti-corruption efforts without the substantial time commitment of a postgraduate programme.\n\n## What makes the course’s approach – especially the use of a simulated case and OSINT –distinctive for this audience?\n\nLike other ICAR training modules, the course focuses on developing practical skills through the “learn by doing” methodology. Participants do not simply learn theoretical concepts in a classroom setting. Working in teams, they conduct a simulated corruption and money laundering investigation. They learn to follow financial trails wherever they lead, through layers of international banking transactions and the misuse of offshore shell companies.\n\nAs this audience of CSOs and investigative journalists lacks investigative powers (such as accessing bank accounts or searching premises), the course emphasises alternative methods for securing information that could trigger or support financial investigations. These include using access to public information laws and open-source intelligence (OSINT).\n\n## What kind of real-world impact do you realistically hope participants will have after completing the training?\n\n### First, better investigations. \n\nIndividuals who complete the course will gain stronger OSINT skills to effectively gather information on financial crime and illicit assets. They will have broader knowledge to detect modern bribery and money laundering schemes. They will understand anti-money laundering frameworks and the meticulous process of conducting financial investigations. They will have  greater capacity to analyse financial records, such as bank statements, company documents and procurement records.\n\n### Second, more objective reporting.\n\nThe course will expose participants to the practical challenges of financial investigations and asset recovery, including capacity gaps, asset management and slow international cooperation. This will lead to, among other things, more objective press reporting on financial crimes and asset recovery cases. \n\n### Third, a stronger accountability role. \n\nUpon completing the course, participants will also have the broader knowledge needed to report on and follow up on the reuse of recovered assets, ensuring they are used effectively. \n\n### Fourth, a stronger network.\n\nThe course will provide a platform to foster better cooperation among CSOs, investigative journalists and law enforcement agencies. It will also foster regional and international cooperation among CSOs and Investigative Journalists. \n\nOur dream? That CSOs and journalists go from being external observers and reporters to complementary actors who ensure that financial investigations are effective and transparent, and that stolen assets are quickly detected, traced, seized, well-managed, confiscated, repatriated and deployed to achieve sustainable development. \n\nAmbitious, but essential to making a dent in the corruption and financial crime that hinder development and prosperity worldwide.\n\n## Interested in bringing this training to your organisation or network?\n\nThe [Asset Recovery for Civil Society and Journalists course](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fcourses\u002Fasset-recovery) can be delivered either onsite or online for booked groups of approximately 25–30 participants. It is suitable for national, regional or international audiences and can be tailored to specific contexts and learning needs.\n\nFor individuals, the course is also offered online as an open enrolment programme, allowing participants from anywhere in the world to join. To learn more or discuss delivery options, contact training@baselgovernance.org.\n","2026-06-12","interview-why-journalists-need-asset-recovery-skills","Q&A: Why civil society and journalists need asset recovery skills – and how they can gain them","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fb659354b-528b-418e-b5ee-d94e2496efaa?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[237,239,241],{"tags_id":238},{"id":52,"name":53},{"tags_id":240},{"id":94,"name":95},{"tags_id":242},{"id":80,"name":81},[16,17],[245,246],1383,1384,[],[19],[],"2026-06-12T13:19:29.000Z","2026-06-29T09:42:22.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Finterview-why-journalists-need-asset-recovery-skills",{"id":256,"body":257,"status":6,"type":106,"date":258,"slug":259,"title":260,"image":261,"countries":262,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":263,"nid":13,"topics":272,"activities":13,"authors":273,"images":274,"websites":13,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":275,"translation_of":13,"user_created":132,"date_created":276,"user_updated":277,"date_updated":278,"content":279,"translations_news":280,"link":281},10636,"How can investigative journalists help expose crypto-related crime – and educate both the public and policymakers in an increasingly complex financial landscape?\n\nThat was the knot unravelled in a recent [webinar](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fjournalism_virtualassets) jointly organised by the Basel Institute on Governance and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and moderated by **Dr Jolly Mtaba** of Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences.\n\nSpeakers spanning investigative journalism, law enforcement and public-private cooperation discussed the opportunities and challenges of investigating illicit activity involving virtual assets. They also probed the skills and collaborations needed to turn media investigations into on-the-ground impact on public awareness, policy advancement and law enforcement action.\n\nBelow are some of the key takeaways from the discussion.\n\n## Why does investigative journalism matter in the fight against crypto-related crime?\n\nAccording to investigative journalist **Geoff White**, journalists play two critical roles.\n\nOne is investigative: uncovering wrongdoing, exposing weaknesses in systems and shining a light on fraud, corruption and money laundering.\n\nThe other is educational.\n\nMany people have heard of cryptocurrency, but far fewer understand how it works, how it can be misused or why it can create opportunities for criminals. Journalists therefore have an important role in helping the public, policymakers and law enforcement agencies understand increasingly complex financial crime risks.\n\nAs White noted, and has sought to do in his latest book [_Rinsed_](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.penguin.co.uk\u002Fbooks\u002F455031\u002Frinsed-by-white-geoff\u002F9780241624869) and podcast series [_The Lazarus Heist_](https:\u002F\u002Fgeoffwhite.tech\u002Fpodcasts\u002F),\n\n> there's the explanation piece, and then there's also the investigation and the forcing daylight into this industry.\n\n## What makes crypto investigations different?\n\nThe panellists agreed that crypto-related investigative reporting presents unique challenges.\n\n**Spencer Woodman** of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists ([ICIJ](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.icij.org\u002F)) gave an example from the ICIJ’s [Coin Laundry investigation](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.icij.org\u002Finvestigations\u002Fcoin-laundry\u002F). He explained that while many aspects of crypto investigations resemble traditional money laundering investigations, aspects such as self-custody wallets and crypto-to-cash services introduce a new level of complexity.\n\nUnlike traditional financial accounts, self-custody wallets can be created quickly, anonymously and without the involvement of a financial institution, he explained:\n\n> One thing that amazed me in this investigation was figuring out how easy it is to make my own self-custody wallet. You can generate these things at the click of a button, and that’s one reason scammers have such an easy time laundering money in crypto.\n\nThis makes tracing funds significantly more difficult, particularly when cryptocurrency is converted into cash through informal crypto-to-cash desks or courier services operating outside traditional regulatory frameworks.\n\nBuilding on White’s comments about the explanatory function of journalism, an additional challenge is explaining complex blockchain technology to the audience, said Woodman:\n\n> These scoops and new pieces of information are often about complex financial dealings, and that's already difficult to explain to readers in a succinct way. And then you have this additional challenge of having to explain what cryptocurrency is at a more basic level to a general readership. So the stories are serving a dual purpose – explaining the complex ins and outs of crypto, and then trying to explain the often complicated findings of our investigation.\n\n## Can investigative journalism lead to real-world action?\n\nThe answer is a clear yes.\n\n**Alexandra Gillies** of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project ([OCCRP](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.occrp.org\u002Fen)) highlighted several investigations that led to concrete outcomes.\n\nAfter one investigation into the Lithuanian crypto company [Bankera](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.occrp.org\u002Fen\u002Fnews\u002Fbankera-revelations-lead-to-raids-court-fight), the Lithuanian authorities launched a criminal investigation and conducted more than 30 raids of companies connected to the case. Two banks in Lithuania and Vanuatu faced consequences too.\n\nAnother OCCRP investigation uncovered links between two UK-registered crypto exchanges and suspected Iranian money laundering networks. Following publication, the companies were [removed](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.occrp.org\u002Fen\u002Fnews\u002Fuk-to-dissolve-crypto-exchange-accused-of-funding-irans-revolutionary-guard) from the UK corporate register. She explained:\n\n> At OCCRP we take a proactive approach. First, through outreach to people who can use the information, such as the briefings we gave to law enforcement agencies and policymakers about the findings of our big [Scam Empire](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.occrp.org\u002Fen\u002Fproject\u002Fscam-empire) project. \n\n> Second by collaborating with civil society organisations such as Transparency International – where the journalists do their reporting, and then the civil society groups push for policy change, or for accountability and legal consequences for those involved in the wrongdoing. This has worked really well on a number of corruption issues.\n\nModerator Dr Jolly Ntaba added an example from Malawi, where a collaborative corruption investigation by journalists sparked a national debate and led to a presidential directive aimed at addressing some of the issues uncovered.\n\n## How can journalists and law enforcement work together without compromising independence?\n\nThis was one of the webinar's central themes.\n\n**Eric van der Schild**, Head of Europol's Financial Intelligence Public Private Partnership ([EFIPPP](https:\u002F\u002Fefippp.eu\u002F)), emphasised that trust is essential.\n\nJournalists and law enforcement agencies have different mandates and operate under different constraints, but both share an interest in exposing criminal activity and improving public safety.\n\nHe and other panellists stressed that cooperation does not mean sharing unpublished information or compromising journalistic independence.\n\nGillies clarified that OCCRP's engagement with law enforcement takes place after publication and is based on publicly available reporting:\n\n> The way we share information is by publishing stories.\n\nInstead, panellists highlighted the value of dialogue, mutual learning and ensuring that investigative findings reach the institutions best placed to act on them. The old adage remains true, said van der Schild:\n\n> Trust arrives on foot and leaves on horseback.\n\n## What skills do journalists need to investigate crypto-related crime?\n\nSeveral panellists highlighted the growing need for specialist expertise.\n\n**Tom Walugembe** of the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery pointed to a range of skills that can strengthen investigative reporting, including financial analysis, open source intelligence techniques and a better understanding of asset recovery mechanisms.\n\nHe also emphasised the importance of understanding how law enforcement agencies conduct investigations and cooperate across borders.\n\nThe need for such skills beyond law enforcement is the main driver of the Basel Institute’s development of a new [course on financial investigations and asset recovery](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Ffiar_csos) directed specifically at civil society organisations and investigative journalists.\n\nWoodman argued that journalists do not need to become blockchain specialists overnight. However, they do need a solid understanding of the basics:\n\n> The best way to operate, in my opinion, as a reporter focusing on crypto, is to build some capacity and understanding of how to use public blockchain explorers.\n\nThat foundation allows journalists to engage more effectively with technical experts and critically assess the information they receive:\n\n> There are things in the metadata of those transactions that can really trip you up… relationships with experts are crucial, but it’s never very helpful to go to an expert and say: tell me everything about what I’m looking at here. You need to look at the thing yourself and then say: am I looking at this correctly?\n\n## Are there enough resources and expertise available?\n\nNot yet.\n\nBoth OCCRP and ICIJ described ongoing efforts to build internal expertise on cryptocurrency and blockchain analysis.\n\nOne challenge is that many media organisations rely on commercial blockchain analytics providers, which can be expensive and may have potential conflicts of interest due to their relationships with industry clients.\n\nAs a result, several speakers stressed the importance of building in-house expertise.\n\nGillies noted that investigative journalism increasingly requires multidisciplinary teams capable of combining traditional reporting skills with technical and financial expertise. At the OCCRP, they are keen to strengthen collaboration with academic researchers and data scientists, she said.\n\n## What challenges do journalists face?\n\nApart from the omnipresent challenges of resources and expertise, the risks associated with investigating crypto-related crime are often the same risks faced by journalists investigating corruption, organised crime and money laundering more broadly.\n\nThese include legal threats, cyberattacks, political pressure and, in some countries, threats to personal safety.\n\nIn response to a question from the audience, panellists emphasised the impact of declining press freedom.\n\nRestrictions on independent journalism can lead to self-censorship, force journalists into exile and reduce the amount of actionable information that reaches the public domain. Gillies said:\n> \n> There’s a lot of stress and distraction that comes from managing repression.\n\nThe panellists agreed that protecting press freedom is essential if investigative journalism is to continue playing an effective accountability role. It’s in governments’ interests to “take that issue seriously and put it at the top of the agenda”, including both legal protections and adequate resourcing.\n\n## What was the overall message?\n\nThe webinar highlighted that cracking down on crypto-related crime is a complex challenge that is evolving at a dizzying rate and that requires all hands on deck.\n\nInvestigative journalists, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, researchers and policymakers each bring different strengths to that effort.\n\nAnd though the technology may be evolving rapidly, the aim remains the same: follow the money, expose wrongdoing, ensure that those responsible are held accountable and strengthen policies to protect people, businesses and states.\n\nAs the discussion demonstrated, investigative journalism continues to be one of the most powerful tools available for achieving that goal.\n\n## Learn more\n\n::: links\n- [View the webinar recording on YouTube](https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002F6sDullt2gWM)\n-  [Read about the role of international and non-profit organisations in tackling crypto-related crime, drawing on another Basel Institute–OSCE webinar and insights from UNODC, the FIU]((https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fvirtual-assets-real-world-crime-and-search-effective-responses))\n:::","2026-06-10","virtualassets-journalism","The powerful role of investigative journalists in tackling crypto-related crime (and what would boost it)","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fe6fa4394-8830-4c8d-a5d8-28aac4d49d06?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[264,266,270],{"tags_id":265},{"id":181,"name":182},{"tags_id":267},{"id":268,"name":269},867,"Financial crime",{"tags_id":271},{"id":66,"name":67},[16],[],[],[],"2026-06-10T13:48:40.000Z","b0662e2a-864d-4888-a1b7-4342b7570b30","2026-06-24T13:27:03.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fvirtualassets-journalism",{"id":283,"body":284,"status":6,"type":106,"date":285,"slug":286,"title":287,"image":288,"countries":289,"topic":13,"activity":13,"tags":290,"nid":13,"topics":295,"activities":13,"authors":296,"images":298,"websites":299,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":300,"translation_of":13,"user_created":132,"date_created":301,"user_updated":277,"date_updated":302,"content":303,"translations_news":304,"link":305},10635,"_What does the EU's new Anti-Corruption Directive actually change, and where does it fall short? This article by Rita Simões of the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery takes a closer look at the final text. She looks at what was adopted, what was left out during negotiations, and what the final text is likely to mean for enforcement across the EU._\n\n_For a broader reflection on what the directive reveals about changing corruption risks and the future direction of EU anti-corruption policy, see a [companion analysis by Dr Jacopo Costa](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Feu-directive-political-lens)._\n\nThe European Union (EU) has adopted and published its [Anti-Corruption Directive](https:\u002F\u002Feur-lex.europa.eu\u002Feli\u002Fdir\u002F2026\u002F1021\u002Foj\u002Feng), concluding a process that began with the Commission’s proposal in [May 2023](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.europarl.europa.eu\u002Flegislative-train\u002Ftheme-a-new-era-for-european-defence-and-security\u002Ffile-directive-on-combating-corruption).\n\nIts adoption comes amid a broader recalibration of global anti-corruption enforcement, marked by decreased U.S. leadership through the scaling back of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement and increased expectations for the EU to assume a more central role in global anti-corruption efforts.\n\nFollowing a lengthy negotiation period, the final directive is a compromise between the widely differing levels of ambition reflected in the proposals put forth by the [European Parliament](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.europarl.europa.eu\u002Fdoceo\u002Fdocument\u002FA-9-2024-0048_EN.html) and [European Commission](https:\u002F\u002Feur-lex.europa.eu\u002Flegal-content\u002FEN\u002FTXT\u002F?uri=COM:2023:234:FIN). It establishes a common baseline of corruption offences, corporate liability rules and jurisdiction, but leaves member states significant discretion to limit the scope of new measures.\n\nThe final version also omits key provisions relating to political financing, non-trial resolutions and victims’ rights.\n\nTherefore, the directive's central achievement is the harmonisation of anti-corruption offences and sanctions. Its central limitation is that it leaves key aspects of enforcement practice largely in the hands of member states.\n\n## Important changes in criminal law, liability and jurisdiction\n\nThe directive establishes a detailed enforcement and prevention framework. It requires member states to, among others:\n\n-   create independent anti-corruption bodies;\n-   adopt national strategies;\n-   conduct sector-specific risk assessments;\n-   provide training for officials; and\n-   use Europol’s SIENA system for information exchange.\n\nThese measures are complemented by harmonised statistical reporting obligations on investigations, prosecutions and sanctions.\n\nOn **substantive criminal law,** the directive introduces a harmonised baseline of corruption offences across member states including domestic and foreign bribery, trading in influence, misappropriation, abuse of functions and obstruction of justice.\n\nThe directive also requires member states to establish a broad **criminal liability regime for legal persons**. Under this framework, companies can be held accountable for corruption offences, including those resulting from lapses in senior management supervision. Notably, the directive reinforces this regime through obligating the use of dissuasive measures, such as fines based on global turnover and exclusion from public procurement.\n\nThe directive also strengthens **jurisdictional** rules. Member states must assert jurisdiction over offences committed on their territory or by their nationals. Furthermore, a member state can prosecute offences committed abroad without needing the state where the crime occurred to report it first. .\n\n## How these could help enhance anti-corruption enforcement\n\nThese measures aim to strengthen the EU’s enforcement capacity by expanding the legal tools available to investigate and prosecute corruption, particularly in cross-border cases.\n\nMeasures on corporate liability, for instance, will strengthen the ability of member states to address complex bribery schemes involving multinational structures.\n\nSimilarly, the enhanced jurisdictional rules will enable member states to pursue corruption cases that occurred outside their territory, even where the state in which the corruption took place is unwilling or unable to act.\n\nIn addition, the institutional and procedural framework – particularly coordination, risk assessments and dedicated enforcement bodies – should strengthen the EU’s ability to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute corruption.\n\nHowever, enforcement effectiveness will still depend heavily on national implementation capacity and political will.\n\n## Three missed opportunities: political financing, non-trial resolutions and victim participation\n\n[Previously identified](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Feus-anti-corruption-directive-enters-critical-juncture) as areas of significant potential, several key measures proposed by the European Parliament that could have further enhanced enforcement were excluded or significantly watered down in the final directive.\n\n### Political financing\n\nThe European Parliament had proposed stronger measures to tackle illicit political financing, including enhanced transparency requirements and potential criminalisation of certain violations.\n\nHowever, member states are only encouraged – not required – to address risks linked to political funding, with no binding obligation to implement transparency measures or criminalise political financing.\n\nThis leaves the EU without a harmonised framework in this area. This is a critical gap given growing concerns about how illicit funding can distort electoral processes and enable undue influence over public decision-making, both [globally](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.idea.int\u002Fnews\u002Fwhen-money-buys-power-unseen-link-between-corruption-and-political-finance) and at the [European level](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.europarl.europa.eu\u002FRegData\u002Fetudes\u002FSTUD\u002F2021\u002F653631\u002FEXPO_STU(2021)653631_EN.pdf).\n\n### Non-trial resolutions\n\nProposed mandatory frameworks for non-trial resolutions in cases involving legal persons, reflecting established practice in jurisdictions such as the [United Kingdom](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-55), were not retained as binding obligations in the final directive.\n\nAs a result, this instrument does not establish a level playing field across the EU. This is likely to lead to divergent enforcement approaches, with some jurisdictions relying on negotiated resolutions while others depending on full criminal proceedings.\n\nSuch fragmentation may weaken the effective imposition of financial sanctions on companies, as well as the recovery of proceeds and their use for compensating victims of corruption or enhance [anti-corruption efforts](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-59).\n\n### Victim and public participation in corruption cases\n\nThe final version of the directive requires member states to grant procedural rights to victims and members of the public affected by corruption offences. But it largely relies on existing EU frameworks and national law, providing participation rights only where they already exist domestically.\n\nBy contrast, the European Parliament’s proposal was more ambitious: it sought to define these categories explicitly, regulate their procedural rights and grant victims a clear right to compensation.\n\nAs a result, recognition of victims in corruption cases remains uneven across member states. This approach also may limit victim and civil society participation, despite growing international support for [more participatory](https:\u002F\u002Fcifar.eu\u002Ftools-networks\u002Fcivil-society-principles\u002Fvictims-in-asset-recovery) approaches.\n\n## Anti-corruption ambition is now up to member states\n\nThe directive adopts an anti-corruption approach that strengthens enforcement powers while maintaining deference to national legal systems.\n\nIts effectiveness will depend heavily on implementation, particularly where it sets only minimum standards or leaves room for national discretion. In practice, this is likely to produce uneven legal frameworks across the EU, shaped more by domestic political will than by EU-led harmonisation.\n\nMember states implementing the directive will face a choice:\n\n-   Should they adhere to the minimum requirements only?\n-   Or take the opportunity to pursue more ambitious anti-corruption reforms, including some of the broader measures originally proposed by the European Parliament?\n\nChoosing a more ambitious approach presents an opportunity to lead by example and influence future EU reform.","2026-06-08","eu-directive-enforcement","How will the EU Anti-Corruption Directive affect enforcement against corruption?","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F1a3d289c-bb83-4907-9a81-5f3e9dc9de8d?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[291,293],{"tags_id":292},{"id":52,"name":53},{"tags_id":294},{"id":216,"name":217},[16],[297],1382,[],[19],[],"2026-06-09T17:46:14.000Z","2026-06-24T13:28:12.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Feu-directive-enforcement",{"id":307,"body":308,"status":6,"type":106,"date":309,"slug":310,"title":311,"image":312,"countries":313,"topic":319,"activity":321,"tags":324,"nid":331,"topics":332,"activities":333,"authors":334,"images":335,"websites":336,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":337,"translation_of":13,"user_created":338,"date_created":339,"user_updated":277,"date_updated":340,"content":341,"translations_news":342,"link":343},10611,"_When states fail to hold corrupt actors to account, ordinary citizens pay the price. Corruption sanctions were born from the idea that no one should be above the law, no matter where they are in the world. In a new Working Paper, Dr Anton Moiseienko explores how these tools have evolved and offers recommendations for their more effective and legitimate use._\n\n_Here we share the foreword to his paper by the Basel Institute's Andrew Dornbierer, Head of Policy and Research, International Centre for Asset Recovery._\n\n## Foreword\n\nEvery state has an obligation to investigate and prosecute corruption within their jurisdiction. Unfortunately, many states around the world are not willing to fulfil this responsibility.\n\nAs a result, the very individuals within these states tasked with serving the public interest are instead given free rein to commit acts that not only serve themselves but also corrode the fabric of the state. And ordinary citizens have no alternative but to endure the ensuing economic and social damage.\n\nThe development of sanctions tools targeting corruption stemmed from the idea that justice should be universal; that no one in any society around the world should be above the law.\n\nThey are powerful tools, built on powerful principles. States introducing them understand that unchecked corruption will always suffocate a state’s ability to provide security, fairness and prosperity to its citizens.\n\nComparatively though, corruption sanctions are still an underdeveloped concept and are far from perfect. Only a handful of states have introduced them, and those that have are not often using them to their full potential.\n\nThey also spark valid concerns surrounding due process. These criticisms shouldn’t be ignored: they offer an insight on how these tools could be further developed and enhanced to ensure that they are more credibly and consistently applied.\n\nIn his paper, Anton Moiseienko provides an excellent and well-researched overview of how corruption sanctions could be designed and employed to better achieve their potential. He explains how these tools have evolved over the last two decades and how they could be further refined to be more effective and achieve a wider range of impact.\n\nCritically, his paper is an indispensable resource for those looking to understand exactly how such sanctions can help states deter, disrupt and debilitate the notoriously corrupt that are unreachable through standard criminal justice tools.\n\n## Learn more\n\n*   Read Dr Anton Moiseienko’s Working Paper “[Corruption sanctions: What governments need to know](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-62)” for a deeper analysis of the topic and key policy recommendations.\n*   Get a brief introduction to corruption sanctions from our related [Quick Guide](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg43).\n*   Register for our public webinar \"[Corruption sanctions – reaching those beyond the law](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnode\u002F2968)\" on 18 June 2026, marking the launch of Dr Moiseienko's Working Paper.","2026-06-03","holding-the-corrupt-to-account-the-promise-and-potential-of-corruption-sanctions-2979","Holding the corrupt to account: the promise and potential of corruption sanctions","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F9f5fad98-9243-40da-98d0-1271edd00df2?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[314,315,316,317,318],7808,7809,7818,7819,7820,[320],"Asset Recovery",[322,323],"Reports","Insights",[325,327,329],{"tags_id":326},{"id":208,"name":209},{"tags_id":328},{"id":216,"name":217},{"tags_id":330},{"id":212,"name":213},2979,[16],[322,323],[94],[],[19],[],"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6","2026-06-04T21:13:40.000Z","2026-06-24T13:30:38.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fholding-the-corrupt-to-account-the-promise-and-potential-of-corruption-sanctions-2979",{"id":345,"body":346,"status":6,"type":10,"date":347,"slug":348,"title":349,"image":350,"countries":351,"topic":352,"activity":353,"tags":355,"nid":364,"topics":365,"activities":366,"authors":367,"images":368,"websites":13,"area":13,"programme":13,"language":20,"translations":369,"translation_of":13,"user_created":338,"date_created":370,"user_updated":277,"date_updated":371,"content":372,"translations_news":373,"link":374},10612,"Reducing the economic power of organised crime is essential to improving security, strengthening justice systems and supporting sustainable development across Latin America and the Caribbean. And doing that requires strong and dependable partnerships.\n\nBuilding on more than a decade of support to authorities across the region, the Basel Institute on Governance has formally joined the [Alliance for Security, Justice and Development](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.iadb.org\u002Fen\u002Fwho-we-are\u002Ftopics\u002Fmodernization-state\u002Fcitizen-security-and-justice\u002Falliance-security-justice-and-development), a regional initiative led by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).\n\nThe Alliance seeks to strengthen coordinated responses to organised crime in Latin America and the Caribbean through dialogue, cooperation, knowledge exchange and resource mobilisation.\n\n## Supporting the fight against illicit financial flows\n\nFor the Basel Institute and its International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), participation in the Alliance represents a further opportunity to contribute its expertise in financial investigations, asset recovery, international cooperation and public financial management while working alongside governments, international organisations and other partners committed to strengthening security, justice and development across the region.\n\nExecutive Director Elizabeth Andersen signed the declaration formalising the Basel Institute’s participation in the Alliance in Washington, D.C. The signing followed close engagement between senior IDB and Alliance representatives and Oscar Solórzano, Head of ICAR Latin America.\n\n## Strengthening regional cooperation\n\nThe Alliance for Security, Justice and Development is a regional platform for dialogue, cooperation, knowledge exchange and resource mobilisation aimed at preventing and responding to organised crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.\n\nCoordinated by the IDB through its Citizen Security Division, the Alliance currently brings together 23 member states and multiple strategic partners from the international, development and security sectors.\n\nIts work is structured around three strategic pillars:\n\n*   protecting vulnerable communities from organised crime and violence;\n*   strengthening institutional resilience within security and justice systems; and\n*   reducing illicit financial flows and illicit markets to weaken the operational capacity and influence of criminal organisations.\n\n## Bringing expertise in asset recovery and financial investigations\n\nThe Basel Institute will contribute particularly to the third pillar, leaning on the expertise and two decades of experience of its specialised International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR).\n\nElizabeth Andersen stated that the Basel Institute is honoured to participate in such a high-level initiative focused on issues of critical importance for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as for the broader international community.\n\nOscar Solórzano highlighted that the Alliance represents an important opportunity to support countries in strengthening asset recovery systems, international cooperation and institutional capacities against increasingly sophisticated forms of organised crime and illicit economies.\n\n## Building on a decade of support in Latin America\n\nOur participation builds on more than a decade of operational and technical support to authorities across Latin America in areas including financial investigations, asset recovery, international cooperation and – through a dedicated programme – public financial management.\n\nActivities under the Alliance framework are expected to begin in the region in the coming months, with our teams supporting key initiatives and technical workstreams developed through the Alliance in the years ahead.\n\nOur participation reflects our longstanding commitment to helping countries tackle corruption, illicit financial flows and organised crime, and our belief that sustainable impact is achieved through strong partnerships that bring together public authorities, international organisations and practitioners around shared goals.","2026-06-02","basel-institute-joins-regional-effort-to-strengthen-security-justice-and-development-in-latin-america-2977","Basel Institute joins regional effort to strengthen security, justice and development in Latin America","https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcms\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fda8fdbf2-aea0-4009-8f38-8a04c5d8e964?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=90",[],[320],[354],"Partnerships",[356,358,360],{"tags_id":357},{"id":116,"name":117},{"tags_id":359},{"id":52,"name":53},{"tags_id":361},{"id":362,"name":363},1215,"Illicit financial flows",2977,[16],[354],[],[],[],"2026-06-04T21:13:42.000Z","2026-06-24T13:30:53.000Z",[],[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fbasel-institute-joins-regional-effort-to-strengthen-security-justice-and-development-in-latin-america-2977",{"left":376,"top":376,"width":377,"height":377,"rotate":376,"vFlip":378,"hFlip":378,"body":379},0,20,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M17 10a.75.75 0 0 1-.75.75H5.612l4.158 3.96a.75.75 0 1 1-1.04 1.08l-5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.08l5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 1 1 1.04 1.08L5.612 9.25H16.25A.75.75 0 0 1 17 10\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u002F>",1785314937560]