Turkmenistan officials discuss anti-corruption and anti-money laundering practices on OSCE-organized study visit to Latvia
Seven representatives from Turkmenistan’s ministries and law-enforcement bodies participated in an OSCE-organized study visit on anti-corruption and anti-money laundering mechanisms to Latvia that took place from 23 to 25 September 2014 in Riga.
Organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in close co-operation with the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau of Latvia, the three-day visit enabled participants to observe how anti-corruption and anti-money laundering mechanisms are implemented in practice in another OSCE participating State.
During the visit, the delegation had meetings with representatives of different divisions at the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau of Latvia and discussed the structure, mandate and functions of the Bureau, consequences of corruption and proportionality of punishments as well as the role of asset declarations in work of the Bureau, prevention of conflict of interest policy and methodology of controlling the financing of political parties.
“The visit demonstrated the importance of the exchange of best practices in combating corruption and money-laundering and stressed the vital role of interagency and international co-operation in addressing these threats”, said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
“By bringing together counterparts from Turkmenistan’s and Latvian relevant agencies, the visit provided a platform for discussing multifaceted approaches to combating and preventing corruption and money laundering”.
The delegates also met with officials from the Economic Crimes Enforcement Unit in the State Police, State Revenue Service and Office for Prevention of Laundering of Proceeds Derived from Criminal Activity in the Office of the Prosecutor’s General of the Republic of Latvia. The discussions focused on investigations of corruption, tax and economic related crimes, and activities of Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia.