OSCE roundtable held in Neum strengthens financial investigations in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 7 and 8 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the Office of the OSCE Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in co-operation with the Federal Agency for the Management of Confiscated Assets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, facilitated a roundtable discussion on financial investigations in criminal cases, which took place in Neum.

The event aimed to enhance internal co-ordination between all agencies involved in the fight against organized crime, corruption and economic crime. Participants also discussed the development of concrete tools for more effective financial investigations and prompt identification, freezing and seizure of illegally acquired assets.

With the support of the Federal Agency for the Management of Confiscated Assets, the Prosecutor’s Office of Canton Sarajevo presented its approach to streamlining the collection of data on assets in criminal proceedings, which includes a list of contact persons in all institutions and agencies that may have relevant data on the person or persons concerned. The roundtable aimed to encourage other Prosecutor Offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina to make use of this list for direct contact and more swift communication.

This event was organized within the framework of the OSCE extra-budgetary project “Strengthening Asset Recovery Efforts in the OSCE Region”, which is funded by Austria, Germany, Italy and the United States.