Basel Institute on Governance’s Post

At a recent meeting of the Asset Recovery Network of GAFILAT – the Latin America body of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – Oscar Solorzano explored what the latest changes to the FATF recommendations on non-conviction based forfeiture could mean for asset recovery practice in Latin America. In brief: it's a step in the right direction towards solving some of the challenges that Latin American states face when seeking to recover stolen assets from abroad. But a lot remains to be done to ensure that we see concrete judicial successes, smooth international cooperation and the return of far greater quantities of stolen assets to victim states. https://lnkd.in/e84e8Ft7

As gatekeepers to the financial system, #accountants can play a powerful role in combating #corruption – and by doing so support long-term value creation for their companies and societies. We are delighted to launch new actionable guidance for accountants together with the International Federation of Accountants IFAC and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ICAEW. 📖 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eCPx95dQ 🖥 Sign up for the launch event on 9 July: https://lnkd.in/epRYMqXg In brief, we encourage an "integrated mindset" – companies should consider financial and sustainability information holistically and in an integrated way, and apply this mindset to anti-corruption compliance programmes and controls. Among other things, the report also encourages accountants to champion #CollectiveAction approaches. When accountants come together with other stakeholders they can more effectively tackle shared problems of corruption and raise standards of ethics and integrity across the industry. Kudos to Scarlet Wannenwetsch and Vanessa Hans of our Private Sector team and to all other authors, contributors, leaders and event speakers including Scott Hanson, Gareth B., Laura Takamizawa, Nicola Allocca, Sharon Ditchburn, France CHAIN. B20 Brasil, B20, OECD - OCDE, Business at OECD (BIAC) Collective Action at the Basel Institute.

🚲 The Basel Institute's Headquarter staff is taking a well-deserved rest after two months of building team spirit (and calf muscles!) during the bike to work challenge. 👑 With a combined total of 2210 kilometres, and many smiling faces despite the unusually heavy rainfall, we are already looking forward to next year's challenge. 📅 If you are in Switzerland and want to join in next year, set yourself a calendar reminder for next Spring. More info is here: https://www.biketowork.ch/

🇲🇩 We are hiring a Senior Specialist in Asset Recovery for our International Centre for Asset Recovery programme in Moldova. ✅ You will have at least 10 years of experience conducting prosecutor-informed legal proceedings for complex economic crime, with a focus on corruption and money laundering prosecutions and/or procedures relating to the restraint and recovery of proceeds of crime. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dVbE4iQ

👏 We are thrilled to announce that Helen Alderson has joined our Foundation Board. We look forward to benefiting from her 35 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, global public health and sustainable investing. See Helen's profile: https://lnkd.in/ed5xkwti

🇺🇦 Last month we kicked off a long-term training programme on Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery for Ukrainian practitioners. The first installment took place near the Ukrainian border in Lublin, Poland. Despite the enormous challenges generated by Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions are making strides and we are proud to support their endeavours. 🎓 The programme will boost local training capacity by qualifying six Ukrainian anti-corruption practitioners as International Centre for Asset Recovery trainers. 🔍 At the same time, 125 Ukrainians from a number of agencies will work together to hone their skills through hands-on training based on real world examples. 🇨🇭Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/efVScXrc

"It is important to demonstrate that things can be done when we work together. Not necessarily because we are like-minded, but because joining different perspectives in a common framework has a significant potential for impact." Peter Maurer on why anti-corruption Collective Action is essential if we're to solve today's global challenges: https://lnkd.in/e9ieN3mY He was speaking at the opening of our International Collective Action Conference in Basel last week. Photos, videos and more to come – follow Collective Action at the Basel Institute.

Exciting to see how Switzerland is wielding its legal toolbox to confiscate assets connected to Ukraine’s 2014 Revolution of Dignity, with the aim of returning these to Ukraine. 🇨🇭🇺🇦 🤝 Cases are progressing under the Foreign Illicit Assets Act (FIAA). This rarely used law enables assets to be confiscated under special circumstances, including the impairment of the country of origin's judicial system. Around CHF 170 million in tainted assets associated with the former Yanukovych regime have been frozen since 2014. More on the current status of the cases in this NZZ article (in German): https://lnkd.in/eQW5qa6b And more on the legal mechanisms in this case study: https://lnkd.in/eQSK6Qtb Through our International Centre for Asset Recovery, we are pleased to be supporting our Swiss and Ukrainian partners in their efforts to recover and return funds arising from corruption and related financial crimes.

We are thrilled to have signed an MoU with the Lithuanian Special Investigation Service Specialiųjų tyrimų tarnyba (STT) – among many other things the co-organisers of the excellent #IACC2024. Through the agreement, we will facilitate peer learning and exchange of know-how between the Lithuanian STT and the Bulgarian Anti-Corruption and Asset Recovery Commissions. 🇱🇹🇧🇬🤝 We look forward to learning from STT’s 27 years of exemplary experience in anti-corruption investigations, awareness raising, prevention and data analysis. Iker Lekuona, Director of our International Centre for Asset Recovery, and Nicola Bonucci, Member of the Board, signed the MoU together with Linas Pernavas, Director of the STT. Photo: Lithuanian Special Investigation Service Renne Traicova Mihail Boyadjiev Darius Mickevičius