Mr. Evgeniy Mozgov, UNODC expert: it is important not to limit ourselves to what has already been achieved and to continue newly developed course implementation at the regional level

In the modern world, economic crimes and money laundering are becoming more complex and sophisticated. Therefore, professionalism and deep knowledge in this area are of key importance. Mr. Evgeniy Mozgov, an international expert on combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, shared his experience of working in Kyrgyzstan and spoke about a new training course developed with the UNODC support .

 

Q: Evgeny, how do you assess the current situation in the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of combating money laundering and what is the role of UNODC in this process?

 A: I would like to express my gratitude to UNODC for its significant contribution to solving urgent problems in the field of AML / CFT in the Republic. Let me remind you that in 2018, as a result of a mutual assessment of compliance with international standards on combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, Kyrgyzstan showed unsatisfactory performance and was included in the regime of enhanced monitoring by the world community. Nevertheless, over the past five years here, with the support of UNODC, significant steps have been taken to improve legislation in accordance with international requirements. Currently, 38 of the 40 FATF recommendations in Kyrgyzstan are in conformity. I am confident that our government counterparts will also make progress in implementing the two remaining recommendations in the near future.

However, in addition to the compliance of legislation with international standards, an important criterion is its effective implementation. This implies the high performance of all state bodies involved in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The agencies involved need to demonstrate how legislative mechanisms are implemented in practice - from international and interagency cooperation to the activities of ordinary specialists in the regions. This is the practical focus of the trainings organized with the support of UNODC.

Q:Tell us about new study curriculum which you have developed. What is the structure and key aspects?

A: As part of  the project, we have developed a training course, the purpose of which is to assess risks, collect and analyze operational information in the field of combating money laundering and economic crimes. The course features two workbooks: one is intended for entry-level specialists, and the other for experienced professionals.

This is the three-days course.  On the first day, we thoroughly study international standards and consider the role and tasks of the financial intelligence unit. The second day is devoted to acquiring practical skills: how to search for financial information in the digital space, including modern OSINT methods. The final, third day, touches in depth on the topic of financial investigations. At it, participants learn how public authorities should cooperate to ensure the punishment of criminals and the confiscation of criminally obtained assets.

Q: What would you like to focus on in this course?

A: The curriculum is balanced and all its elements are important. However, on the second day we work on honing practical skills. Our goal is to strengthen the professional competencies of both financial intelligence specialists and law enforcement officials, investigators and prosecutors in terms of identifying and analyzing financial information.

Our practical experience shows that the main difficulty arises directly at the identification stage. The main question is how to get into the criminal’s financial space, namely, to find out in which banks he has opened accounts or cards, where to look for his electronic wallets or cryptocurrency assets? Answers can be obtained by following the methods described in the workbook.

Classes in the course are based on the understanding that the modern world is increasingly digitalized. Each of us has unique digital identifiers: whether it is a personal citizen number, account numbers or other data. Such digital sequences can become tools for criminals to use them to exchange information, sometimes even without encryption - just as an unrelated string of numbers.

It is extremely important for specialists in the field of combating money laundering to be able to “read” such sequences, seeing specific data and context behind them. Therefore, on the one hand, we are considering rather banal questions: how many digits are in the bank account number, how many digits are in the bank card number, and on the other hand, what these numbers mean, and how, looking at them with a professional look, you can immediately understand in what the bank has an account or a card, whether it is a credit or debit card, and the account is real or fake.

The methodological basis of the course is the presentation of information in small portions with instant verification of the acquired knowledge. After each section, listeners take a short test in real time, consisting of two to five questions. This allows you to quickly assess the degree of assimilation of the material. If most of the participants are having difficulty with a particular chapter, the lecturer may return to it for further clarification.

Q: How, in your opinion, to solve the problem when those accused of laundering criminal proceeds evade responsibility? What needs to be done to ensure the inevitability of punishment?

A: Indeed, one of the main problems in the fight against economic crimes is that criminals keep an access to the stolen assets even after they have been convicted. In many countries, the focus is on investigating the direct act of embezzlement or illicit enrichment, resulting in penalties that often do not match the scale of the crime. Criminals, given relatively short sentences, can end up with multi-million or even multi-billion dollar assets hidden in property or offshore accounts. Therefore, the key task in evaluating the effectiveness of the national anti-money laundering system is to assess its ability to deprive criminals of these funds.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, with the support of UNODC, a Financial Investigation Manual was developed. Our training course is aimed at practical mastery of the skills described in the manual, with a focus on the detection and confiscation of criminal proceeds. Real efficiency will be achieved only when specialists know exactly where to get the necessary financial information, how to properly analyze it and present it as evidence in court. Therefore, our course includes cases for both beginners and experienced professionals, allowing you to immediately apply the acquired knowledge in practice.

Q:  What feedback have you already received from national trainers and specialists who have completed this course? What are your plans for the future in this area?

A: After the course for national trainers, it became obvious that this training program has the potential for further development. In the process of training, we adapted the workbooks, taking into account the feedback from the trainers. We will consider some of the suggestions in the context of future course improvements. However, the current materials are already valuable resources that trainers feel will be useful in future training.

In cooperation with national trainers, we have successfully delivered training to two groups of trainees. The first group consisted of young professionals who had recently graduated from specialized academies and had up to two years of work experience. The second group united experienced professionals involved in solving economic crimes.

Feedback from participants in both groups indicates high interest in the course. Therefore, it is important not to limit ourselves to what has already been achieved and to continue its implementation at the regional level, trying to reach as many specialists in this field as possible in Kyrgyzstan.

Interview in Russian language

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For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko (Ms.)

Communications and PR Specialist at 

UNODC criminal justice Prgoramme in Central Asia

UNODC PO in the Kyrgyz Republic 

+996775987817 WhatsApp 

vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org