Strengthening Capacities in Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery

22-24 June 2022, Igman, Bosnia and Herzegovina: With UNODC support, the Agency for the Management of Confiscated Assets of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH AMA) organized a training on the confiscation of illegally acquired property with particular reference to financial investigations in FBIH. The event hosted 30 judges, prosecutors, university professors, and other practitioners from the region and beyond, as well as representatives from OSCE and other international partners.

The event was part of the joint efforts of UNODC and FBiH AMA to assist judicial practitioners through the UNODC regional project "From Illicit Financial Flows to Asset Recovery" and the developed Asset Recovery Roadmap for Bosnia and Herzegovina, generously supported by the UK Government. The project’s overall aim is to enhance capacities to seize proceeds and instrumentalities of crime to ensure increased confiscation, enhance regional cooperation and enable the collection of appropriate statistics in the area of asset recovery.

During the three-day event, legal specialists presented the current legal framework and theoretical aspects of financial investigations in FBiH, as well as a methodology of data collection and data processing to strengthen capacities in tackling and preventing money laundering and illicit financial flows. In addition, the training conference was a valuable opportunity to discuss inter-institutional cooperation, case studies of good practices in Canton Sarajevo and Serbia, and support to effectively conduct financial investigations and confiscate proceeds of crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Thanks to the earlier signed Cooperation Agreement between FBiH AMA and the Center for Education of Judges and Prosecutors, this training on asset recovery forms part of the annual quota for the professional development of practitioners in this jurisdiction.

This activity contributes to SDG 16, particularly Target 16.4, to significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets, and combat all forms of organized crime.

https://sdg-tracker.org/peace-justice#targets