FATF standards and asset recovery practice in Latin America and financial centres

This Policy Brief analyses emerging international standards aimed at addressing recurring challenges in judicial practice with regard to the enforcement of non-conviction based forfeiture orders issued by foreign states. It focuses in particular on the historical absence of a binding obligation on requested states to cooperate in such cases and, where cooperation is available, on the structural tension between direct and indirect enforcement models.

Lessons learned from Colombia–Guernsey cooperation

This Case Study analyses how Colombian authorities recovered assets linked to drug trafficking and held in a trust in Guernsey. It sets out the legal tools and procedures in Colombia and in Guernsey that enabled Colombia’s first international recovery under its non-conviction based forfeiture model Extinción de dominio. The Case Study highlights lessons for international cooperation between jurisdictions with different forfeiture systems or even legal traditions.

The Working Paper Saplings of hope presents an updated overview of emerging and promising prevention and enforcement actions, initiatives and measures implemented by States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to combat corruption related to crimes that have an impact on the environment. It focuses specifically on initiatives from 2024 and 2025.

Download the paper here

Drivers, strategies and implications

This Working Paper explores the drivers and strategies of corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam, with a specific focus on cocaine trafficking. Through in-depth interviews with stakeholders, a review of judicial cases and desk research, it aims to:

Border corruption – defined simply as an illegal exchange between border officials and private actors – is a complex phenomenon with serious impacts on safety, health and security. And stopping it isn’t as easy as just stepping up enforcement.

Financial intelligence is the staple food of investigations into corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes.

Much financial intelligence is held by private-sector institutions such as banks and other financial service providers. How does that get into the hands of law enforcement, where it can trigger or inform investigations? And how can we improve the system?