UNODC and partners improve the effectiveness of national systems to investigate money laundering and asset recovery

Disrupting illicit financial flows, enhancing investigations into the laundering of criminal proceeds, and recovering illicit assets continue to be pressing issues for states as they strengthen anti-money laundering systems worldwide.

UNODC jointly with the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan (the Academy) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Program Office in Astana, organised the 2nd International Forum on "Criminal Prosecution and Opportunities for Improving Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Investigations".

Some 50 participants discussed the peculiarities of preventing money laundering and withdrawal of illegal assets, challenges related to the investigation of predicate offences, judicial practice in criminal cases of money laundering and best practices of international cooperation and development of practitioners.

Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia, noted in her opening remarks that financial crimes undermined all aspects of sustainable development.

"Money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as related predicate offences, are drivers of instability and conflicts. They undermine financial inclusion and trust in state institutions and increase poverty and inequality.

And today, the stakes are higher than ever because a toxic mix of conflict, economic crisis, and environmental and health emergencies has undermined progress on the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. So, we must take urgent action to get the SDGs back on track, including combating money laundering and financial crime."

Participants from prosecutors, judges, financial intelligence units and academies from Central Asia and the South Caucasus shared their experience in financial investigations, evaluating evidence in court and confiscating criminal assets.

The questions of interaction of the interested bodies on counteraction to the withdrawal of capital and the creation of mechanisms of sustainable development of practitioners caused a special interest of participants. In this regard, intermediate results of the first pilot project, "Information system for professional accreditation and development of AML/CFT specialists", which is being implemented with the support of UNODC in the Republic of Kazakhstan, were presented.

Representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the Forum.

The event was organised under the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025framework and the UNODC Global Program Against Money Laundering (GPML), with financial support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

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For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko 

Communications and PR Specialist at 

UNODC Criminal Justice in Central Asia Programme 

UNODC PO in the Kyrgyz Republic 

+996775987817 

vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org