Adjudication of Money-Laundering Offences

1-3 October, 2013, the regional workshop entitled "Adjudication of Money-Laundering Offences" was organized by UNODC in Chisinau, Moldova. It was the 4th of a series of workshops especially designed by UNODC under the project "Strengthening capacities of the GUAM Member States to cooperate at the national and regional levels in combating money-laundering as well as in seizing and confiscating crime proceeds".

The workshop was attended by judges (the primary target audience), prosecutors, investigators, FIU officials and representatives of national training centres for judges/ prosecutors from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan, and judges and prosecutors from Italy, Israel, Latvia, UK, USA, as well as representatives from UNODC, OSCE and GUAM Secretariat - 60 attendees in total. It was aimed at strengthening capacities of judges of the GUAM States to adjudicate money-laundering by studying the international standards and practices, exchanging good practices of the participating states, and establishing/reinforcing personal contacts.

The practitioners from the GUAM States and international experts provided the excellent feedback to the workshop, having acknowledged its very good practical value that allowed to establish useful personal contacts for future professional communication/ cooperation, and to receive various practical tips on how to overcome obstacles for the purpose of successful prosecution and adjudication of money laundering, and asset recovery. The highest appreciation from the GUAM participants was awarded to exercises session moderated by three prominent international experts - Judge Nanette Laughrey and Prosecutor Mary Butler, both from the US, and Prosecutor Yehuda SHAFFER from Israel, who managed to skillfully engage all the participants into a joint brainstorming on the effective ways to bring money-launderers to justice under different conditions and circumstances, and eventually to return stolen assets.