Joint Investigation Teams: modernising cross-border investigations into corruption and organised crime
How the Basel Institute on Governance is helping partner countries to develop and implement Joint Investigation Teams to tackle complex cases that cross national borders, including environmental crime investigations.
Impact highlights
- Faster, more coordinated investigations: Supporting partner countries to establish Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) that enable authorities to share evidence directly and coordinate investigative action across borders.
- A landmark wildlife trafficking investigation: In 2025, prosecutorial authorities in Peru, Panama and Ecuador established Latin America’s first Joint Investigation Team on wildlife trafficking to investigate a shark fin trafficking network spanning multiple jurisdictions.
- Stronger international enforcement: Helping partner countries overcome legal and operational obstacles through expert support, trusted relationships and practical frameworks for coordinated action.
The situation
Corruption and organised crime increasingly operate across borders. Criminal networks move money, assets and illicit goods between jurisdictions while investigators navigate fragmented legal systems and cooperation processes that can struggle to keep pace.
Joint Investigation Teams help address these issues by allowing authorities to work together in real time. They can also strengthen asset recovery efforts by helping authorities to target the profits that sustain organised criminal networks in a more coordinated and comprehensive way.
Key term
Joint Investigation Team: A formal cooperation mechanism that allows prosecutors and investigators from different countries to work together on a shared cross-border case. They enable direct evidence sharing, coordinated investigative action and faster cooperation while respecting national laws and sovereignty.
What we did
Through our International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) and Green Corruption programme, the Basel Institute is promoting the development and implementation of Joint Investigation Teams with partner countries tackling cross-border corruption and organised crime.
Support combines technical expertise with practical assistance: helping authorities build trust across jurisdictions, strengthening cooperation frameworks and supporting the design and operationalisation of these mechanisms.
One example comes from Latin America. In 2025, prosecutorial authorities in Peru, Panama and Ecuador established the first Joint Investigation Team on wildlife trafficking in Latin America to investigate a shark fin trafficking network spanning the countries’ borders.
The impact
The Peru–Panama–Ecuador agreement established a framework for direct information exchange, coordinated investigative strategies and joint prosecutorial action across borders. It also created an important regional precedent, by showing how countries can work collectively against organised criminal networks operating across jurisdictions.
The wildlife trafficking case is one example of a broader effort. The Basel Institute is supporting partners to use Joint Investigation Teams in other cross-border cases, such as corruption or – in the case referred to below – illegal mining:
Wider context
Joint Investigation Teams remain underused in many regions affected by corruption and organised crime. Through our specialised ICAR and Green Corruption teams, and our relationships with prosecutorial authorities in multiple countries, the Basel Institute is helping partners turn the concept into practice: building trusted coalitions and strengthening international cooperation against crimes that increasingly cross borders.