Recovery of criminal assets requires joint action - Taras Shcherbai held meetings with international partners in Vienna

 The First Deputy Director of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, Taras Shcherbai, discussed with foreign law enforcement officers and representatives of international organizations joint steps for the tracing and recovery of assets obtained by criminal means. The meetings took place in Vienna within the framework of the events of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery.

Representatives of law enforcement agencies of Austria, Italy, Hungary, Norway, France, and Turkey, as well as Interpol and the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre, joined the bilateral dialogue.

The participants discussed practical cooperation in the detection, tracing, arrest, and confiscation of criminal assets. Special attention was paid to the exchange of information and experience to counter economic and financial crime.

Another area of work was meetings with representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. With the Head of the Cybercrime and Technology Section, Glen Prichard, and the Head of the Regional Section for Europe, West and Central Asia, Jeremy Milsom, questions of countering money laundering and asset recovery, as well as the development of professional and analytical capabilities of the ESBU, were discussed.

During a separate meeting with Jennifer Sarvary Bradford, the Head of the Field Employment Support Section of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, possible areas of cooperation in countering corruption and economic crimes were discussed.

Within the framework of these events, the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the ESBU, the deepening of interaction with the competent authorities of foreign states, the determination of cooperation priorities, and the involvement of the Bureau in international events to counter economic crime were also discussed.

An important area for the ESBU is also the development of interaction through the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities—an international platform for rapid information exchange. Such cooperation helps establish direct contacts with foreign partners for investigating crimes and recovering illegally obtained assets.

The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine thanks the event organizers and international partners for the constructive dialogue, exchange of experience, and readiness to develop practical cooperation.