Development of Fast Action Response Guides on Asset Recovery for North Macedonia and Montenegro

4-6 July 2023, Bijela, Montenegro: The asset recovery process is a complex, resource-intensive and time-consuming process. It requires permanent cooperation and coordination among the relevant national authorities (e.g., intelligence agencies, law enforcement authorities and prosecutors), as well as with their foreign counterparts. Efforts are often inhibited by, among others, the challenge of identifying the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime, overcoming inconsistent or cumbersome legal requirements that may exist nationally or across borders, and the lack of coordination and cooperation locally and internationally. Many of these challenges can be mitigated with a consistent and harmonized approach at the national level with existing legislation and regulations.

To support the efforts of the authorities from Montenegro and North Macedonia, UNODC organized a three-day workshop towards the development of Fast Action Response Guides (FARGs) on asset recovery. FARGs are intended to provide the relevant national authorities with a simple tool enabling them to quickly have an overview of the legal and operational elements that need to be considered to conduct criminal and parallel financial investigations. This concept goes beyond that of a simple checklist – the developed guides will enable the relevant authorities to identify more efficiently the practical options available to them upon detection of an offence and to determine the appropriate actions, resources and tools needed to conduct the investigations and recover the proceeds of crime.

The workshop was organized in the framework of the Regional Anti-Corruption and Illicit Finance Roadmap under the UNODC Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe and with the generous support of the UK Government.

For more information:

Western Balkan Platform