06/05/2024
Spanish and Albanian justice institutions and security forces have collaborated in the drafting of this criminal assets manual
Tirana, the Albanian capital, hosted the launch of the Manual ‘Criminal Assets: a comprehensive handbook on money laundering and asset recovery’ which brought together the main Spanish and Albanian institutions involved in its drafting.
The handbook is a practical document intended to support prosecutors and investigators in the judicial chain in their daily duties on the above-mentioned topics. Drawn from within the European project, EU4FOCAL, it compiles the main information in the field at national and international level. The handbook is designed as a practical resource and is expected to support prosecutors, investigators and judges in their daily work, as well as to serve as training material in international projects and at the School of Magistrates.
During the presentation it has been shown how five chapters and three annexes have been covered, which delve into the key criminal aspects related to money laundering, asset recovery, financial investigation and international judicial cooperation.
In addition, in order to show the importance of effective implementation and long-term sustainability, EU4FOCAL has developed several pre-training sessions, adapted to the manual. The first of these sessions was addressed to prosecutors and teachers of the Albanian School of Magistracy, applying a Training of Trainers approach. This approach aims to ensure that the manual becomes an integral part of future training activities within the school’s curriculum.
‘This information will be of great use to them in their research”
This event represents a significant step in the efforts to strengthen the Albanian judicial system and effectively combat organised crime. It lays a solid national and international legal foundation, which is expected to contribute significantly to the successful prosecution of financial crimes and the strengthening of the rule of law in Albania.
The presentation was attended by several media and more than 40 authorities, including the Director General of the Albanian Financial Intelligence Unit, representatives of the School of Magistrates, the Ministry of Interior and the Albanian law enforcement agencies, as well as the Albanian focal point at EUROPOL, among others, as this information will be very useful in their investigations, said Agustin Fernandez, Director of the Justice and Rule of Law Area of the FIIAPP.
