In this chapter of a report by Transparencia Venezuela, Estrategias jurídicas para la recuperación de activos venezolanos producto de la corrupción ("Legal strategies for recovering Venezuelan assets that are the proceeds of corruption"), Oscar Solórzano and Stefan Mbiyavanga devise asset recovery strategies in Swiss law from a practical angle. They also identify the most important authorities in all four phases of the asset recovery process: identification, seizure, confiscation and restitution.
Opening remarks and a presentation of key concepts by Oscar Solórzano at the side event “Living up to the spirit of articles 43 and 46 UNCAC” during the eighth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Abu Dhabi, 16-20 December 2019.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me please welcome you to the side event “Living up to the spirit of articles 43 and 46 UNCAC”.
Die Schweiz ist der global wichtigste Standort für die Raffination von Gold. Jahr für Jahr werden circa 2200-3100 Tonnen Rohgold in die Schweiz importiert. Der Grossteil der Importe ist auf die Geschäftstätigkeit der hiesigen Goldraffinerien zurückzuführen. Sie sollen gemeinsam rund 50-70% der weltweiten Goldproduktion in die Schweiz importieren, um daraus Goldbarren, Halbfabrikate und andere Güter herzustellen.
Switzerland is the world leader in gold refining. Of the roughly 2,200–3,100 tonnes of raw gold imported into the country each year, the majority is destined for Swiss gold refineries. Together these companies are estimated to refine 50–70 percent of the world’s gold production, transforming it into gold bars, semi-finished products and other goods.
The Basel Institute's latest Working Paper explores whether, why and how gold refiners can be further integrated in efforts to prevent and combat money laundering in Switzerland. The author, Stefan Mbiyavanga, explains the background and what motivated him to write it, including pending reforms in the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Gemma Aiolfi, Head of Compliance, Corporate Governance and Collective Action at the Basel Institute, gave the opening speech at the 3rd Swiss Global Compact Dialogue today in the Swiss lakeside town of Thun.
The Framework for the Return of Assets from Corruption and Crime in Kenya (FRACCK), agreed and signed by the Governments of Kenya, Jersey, Switzerland and the UK in 2018 with support from the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), is already generating strong interest for its "innovative" and "novel" approach to asset return.
These were the words of Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, Officer-in-Charge of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the UNODC, during a May 7-9 International Expert Meeting on the Return of Stolen Assets.
All the major financial centres have experienced a rise in anti-money laundering rules and regulations. Initially, anti-money laundering laws were used as a weapon in the war on drugs, whilst more recently they have been deployed in the ongoing fight against terrorism. These developments, the authors reveal, have had serious consequences for banks and other financial institutions – affecting not only profit margins but also the way in which business is conducted.
Publication
Norm diffusion and reputation: The rise of the extractive industries transparency initiative
Transparency in the extractives sector is widely seen as a key tool for improving accountability and deterring corruption. Yet for those very reasons, it is a puzzle that so many governments in corruption-prone countries have voluntarily signed up to greater scrutiny in this area, by joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
The Basel Institute’s governance team has been working with the Institute on Nursing of the University of Basel in support of an SDC-funded project aimed at strengthening the nursing sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Using the Basel Institute’s unique “Power and Influence Analysis”, a political economy methodology, the aim is to assist the project team in determining more effective strategies, including specific projects, for enhancing the health and governance sector in BiH.