Cryptocurrency investigations in focus of workshop for practitioners from Kazakhstan

From 22 to 24 October, the OSCE hosted the second workshop on cryptocurrency investigations in Astana, Kazakhstan. The intermediary workshop gathered more than thirty practitioners from the Asset Recovery Committee, the Financial Monitoring Agency, the Anti-Corruption Agency and the Prosecutor’s General Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“Criminal use of virtual assets has become one of the most discussed problems of the financial system and for the economic security of most countries,” said Mr. Murat Tuleganov, the Head of the Office of the Asset Recovery Committee. “This highlights the critical need for capacity building of practitioners in order to identify, trace and effectively seize cryptocurrencies used for criminal activities,” he added.

Through real-life case studies, participants had the opportunity to learn about various steps in the investigation process including identification of the perpetrator, analysis of basic transactions, gathering evidence, reporting of suspicious transactions, and freezing and suspending cryptocurrency assets.

The workshop also covered how to effectively communicate with other institutions and the private sector throughout the investigation process, including with international counterparts.

This workshop was organized within the framework of the extra-budgetary project “Innovative Policy Solutions to Mitigate Money-Laundering Risks of Virtual Assets”, implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. The project is financially supported by Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States.