OSCE hosts panel discussion on asset recovery at the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius

The 21st International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) brought together leading activists, community actors, private sector, government practitioners and international organizations from across the globe to Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss common challenges and opportunities in the fight against corruption, from 18 to 21 June.

With more than 90 thematic workshops under the theme of “Confronting Global Threats: Standing Up for Integrity”, the IACC is a forum for debate and exchange of experiences on how existing international and national commitments can be translated into concrete actions to end corruption.

The OSCE actively contributed to the conference by hosting a workshop on asset recovery that focused on the findings of the “Good practices in asset recovery legislation in selected OSCE participating States”. This comparative report outlines established good practices and identifies innovative legal provisions that may serve as inspiration for other states in advancing their asset recovery mechanisms. Its findings serve to inform policies to recover illicitly gained assets and are crucial for successfully combatting organized crime and corruption. Ranging from civil forfeiture laws to social reuse, the study provides tools and lessons with relevance for multiple stakeholders.

The report, published with the Basel Institute on Governance, examines asset recovery legislation in 18 OSCE participating States and was prepared as part of the “Strengthening Asset Recovery Efforts in the OSCE Region” project implemented by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

Moderated by Prof. Anita Ramasastry, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Corruption, the workshop panel included experts from the OSCE, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Basel Institute on Governance as well as a practitioner’s perspective from Italy and a civil society contribution from Romania.

Mr. Ralf Ernst, Deputy Co-ordinator/Head, Economic Activities at OCEEA, provided an overview of the support that his Office and the Transnational Threats Department provide to participating States in seizing, confiscating and managing assets of criminal and corrupt origin.