Practitioners and policy makers from Africa and Europe met last week in Berlin, Germany, to discuss ways to further accelerate the success rate in recovering stolen assets. The event was organised by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with support from the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) and GIZ, and brought together representatives from Ethiopia, France, Germany, Jersey, Kenya, Norway, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and the United Kingdom. 

The Basel Institute on Governance is further strengthening its global reputation for independent and practice-oriented expertise in asset recovery. On March 29, Gretta Fenner, Managing Director the Basel Institute, signed an agreement of cooperation with Ecuador’s Attorney General. The objective of the collaboration is to assist and support the Attorney General’s Office in identifying, locating, seizing and repatriating illicit assets arising from acts of corruption or the laundering of assets to the detriment of the Ecuadorian State.

In 2017, the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) conducted a Train-the-Trainer project with the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) of Tanzania. At the conclusion of the programme, which was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, four PCCB investigators and prosecutors were certified as trainers in “Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery”, using ICAR’s unique training methodology.

The decision that Jersey shall become a core donor to the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) for a three-year period has been signed by Jersey’s Treasury Minister on Friday 11 May 2018. With this decision, Jersey joins Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the United Kingdom in supporting the implementation of ICAR’s Operational Strategy which has been developed jointly with ICAR’s donors and partner countries.

Those of us involved in corruption investigations and asset recovery know how important it is to gain fresh perspectives, contribute to international policy discussions, learn from others in the field and hopefully help them, too. In this spirit I am happy to share my experience from attending the 7th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (COSP) in Vienna in November 2017.

Procurement fraud and corruption are amongst the primary sources of corrupt income around the globe, and Tanzania is no exception in suffering from their disastrous effects. Following a recent report from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) of Tanzania that revealed that multiple projects handled by public institutions were tainted with corruption, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) was urged to initiate investigations into these projects.

Corruption remains endemic in Ukraine and a severe impediment to democratic and economic development in the country. Support to anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine is a high political priority for the European Union.

In his opening remarks, His Excellency, Mr Urs Herren, Swiss Confederation Ambassador in Romania, emphasised how important it is to enhance the investigation and asset recovery capacities of Romanian law enforcement and justice authorities, mandated to investigate and prosecute financial crimes and recover stolen assets.

The International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) welcomes the signing earlier this week by Kenya and Switzerland of the Framework for the Return of Assets from Corruption and Crime in Kenya (FRACCK).

The FRACCK sets out good practices in relation to the return of stolen assets, including transparency and accountability, and encourages the use of returned assets to advance sustainable development and benefit the civilian population.

The International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) recently provided training support to the Tackling Serious Organised Corruption (TSOC) programme in Malawi. Funded by the UK Department for International Development, the aim of the programme is to increase the likelihood and severity of sanctions for serious corruption and related financial crimes in Malawi.