On 12 - 15 April 2011 the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic hosted a CEPOL course which focused on Confiscation of Assets and Seized Assets Administration. One of the aims of the course was to examine and compare national legal approaches to confiscation of proceeds derived from crime and to identify and examine the EU and international legal framework concerning identification, tracing and confiscating proceeds of crime.
The course that took place in Prague was supported by Italy, France, and Europol and was enriched by contributions from Germany, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. Twenty-three participants from 15 EU Member States attended this course.
The participants were introduced to the topic by Mrs Eva Romancovová, Czech Ministry of Interior - Security Policy Department, by speaking about the Central Register of Accounts and Financial Analytical Unit (CARIN) network in the Czech Republic and about Asset Declaration under the Slovak Legislation.
Day 2 of the course saw presentations from the United Kingdom on Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime followed by Italy and the Czech Republic on Administration and Selling of Seized assets. The day was closed with practical examples/cases and ways of solving them in each country.
Europol kicked off day three by presenting “Tracing of Criminal Proceeds” followed by the German delegate who talked about the German system of Asset Recovery, and the Czech Republic’s presentation on Financial Inquiries and Statistics. The course was concluded by the French delegate’s presentation on Central Register of Accounts in France. All presentations were followed by very interesting and lively discussions which were enabled by the exceptionally open and welcoming atmosphere created by the participants and experts.
The encouraging participants’ feedback showed that the narrowing of the topic was a step in the right direction highlighting that it is possible to narrow down even further and the next course may focus even more on practical police work. However focusing on ARO, CARIN and other aspects was much appreciated and “filled a hole in the market”.
All participants and experts made enormous contributions and produced a work-friendly atmosphere where the exchange of best practices and the creation of essential contacts networks for future cooperation were made easy.
