On 25-27 June, UNODC conducted the regional workshop "Improving Mutual Legal Assistance Practices in Money-Laundering Investigations and Asset Forfeiture/Recovery" in Batumi, Georgia in the framework of 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". It gathered representatives/heads of the Central Authorities, judges, prosecutors and investigators from the GUAM Member States (Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova), AML/MLA practitioners from Israel, Poland, Switzerland and USA as well as experts from Interpol and SELEC/SEEPAG. The workshop benefitted a lot from the contributions provided by some prominent AML/MLA practitioners including Mr. Yehuda Shaffer, Deputy State Attorney of Israel, Mr. Pascal Gossin, Head of MLA Department of Federal Office of Justice of Switzerland and Mr. Rafal Wozniak, Head of Asset Recovery Office of Poland.
The participants of the workshop highly appreciated its good practical value that allowed to establish useful personal contacts for future professional cooperation and to receive practical tips on the ways to overcome obstacles to the effective MLA in AML investigations and asset recovery.