OSCE trains Kosovo Police in confiscating criminal assets

A two-week training course on freezing, restraining, and confiscating criminal assets organized for 13 Kosovo Police officers by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and funded by the German Foreign Office concluded in Prishtinë/Priština on 18 September 2015.

The training course focused on increasing the knowledge of participants on how to investigate money laundering activities that result in the acquisition of criminal assets in line with international standards and human rights laws. Special attention was given to writing well-justified requests based on evidence in order to freeze, restrain and confiscate criminal assets. 

“The need for a training course on this topic was identified during our meetings with Kosovo Police senior staff, so we hired two consultants from United Kingdom, both former senior money laundering investigators with vast experience in the international environment, to train the officers on practical and theoretical aspects of this process,” said John Corrigan, head of the Organized Crime Section at the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

Participants were guided through the legal framework related to the freezing and confiscation of criminal assets. They also studied a fictional money laundering scenario in which participants gave their opinions on how the investigation should proceed in line with the current applicable law.

“It is easier to plan and conduct the investigation if investigators have the whole picture in a money laundering scenario,” said trainer Bill Durrant. “These officers now have the knowledge in how to deal legally with complex freezing, restraining and confiscation requests and get it right the first time. This will save a lot of time in future investigations.”

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human and community rights protection and promotion, democratization, and public safety sector development. It regularly delivers advanced and specialized training courses and mentoring for law enforcement agencies, including in this particular area of organized crime.