UNODC and Partners discuss human rights in stolen asset recovery measures in Kyrgyzstan

With the financial support of the U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Intl Narcotics & Law Enforcement (INL), the UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Programme Office in the Kyrgyz Republic conducted a roundtable discussion on ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic in the implementation of the measures aimed at improving the efficiency of the national system for the identification, search, seizure, and recovery of stolen assets.

 

Organized as part of the UNODC Initiative "Support to the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of identification, confiscation and recovering the illicitly-acquired assets emanating from corruption activities», the event gathered over 20 representatives from the diplomatic community, international organizations, and civil society.

 

Mr. Kanatbek Turgunbekov, Chairman of the State Financial Intelligence Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms. Elnura Kudaibergenova, INL Legal Adviser to the U. S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Andrey Seleznev, Head of UNODC Programme Office in the Kyrgyz Republic highlighted the importance of the measures developed to improve the effectiveness of financial investigations and the search for stolen assets in the Kyrgyz Republic.

 

During the discussion, Mr. Igoris Krzechkovskis, the UNODC international expert said: “Not only measures should be taken to arrest and return significant amounts of funds to the state budget in order to compensate for the damage caused, but also ensuring respect for human rights in order to conduct a transparent criminal process, including the use of such measures as the seizure of property and the detention of suspects on the basis of an objective evidence base”.

 

He also paid attention that the reformed system of financial investigations cannot negatively influence or be used against business entities and taxpayers that operate within the framework of the current legislation. “Based on these tasks, all measures proposed within the framework of the Project implementation were first of all evaluated in terms of their transparency, as well as the successful experience of their application in other states”, noted Mr. Krzechkovskis.

 

During the roundtable meeting, the Interagency Action Plan to improve the mechanisms of identification, seizure, confiscation and recovery of stolen assets was presented. This plan was developed with the support of UNODC International Expert.

Discussing the effectiveness of the Project and achievement of its objectives, the roundtable participants positively noted that all major initiatives and legal documents on conducting, coordinating, and controlling financial investigations have been agreed upon and planned to be signed by the leadership of law enforcement agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic by the end of the year.

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For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko (Ms.)

Communication and PR Specialist at

UNODC Criminal Justice &PVE Programmes

in Central Asia

UNODC PO in the Kyrgyz Republic

+996775987817 WhatsApp or

e-mail: vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org