Re-use of proceeds of crime focus of workshop in Sarajevo

The third national workshop on the social re-use of confiscated assets in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was held on 28 February in Sarajevo. The workshop was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the Office of the OSCE Co-ordinator for Economic and Environmental Activities, and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The workshop focused on the ways forward in re-using confiscated criminal assets and the fight against organized crime and corruption. This was also an opportunity to present the Guidelines on Re-use of Proceeds of Crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This document provides an overview of the legal framework on social re-use in the country, institutional capacities of the asset management agencies, international standards and good practices, types of confiscated assets and other.

“Organized crime and corruption are not just a problem for criminal justice practitioners but are challenges that require a whole-of-society response. We are therefore proud that the project also strengthened the role of civil society organizations in the re-use phase of the asset recovery process” said Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The workshop brought together representatives from the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Hezegovina, the Ministries of Justice of BiH, the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska, the Ministry of Finance of the Federation of BiH, the agency for Management of Seized Property of Republika Srpska, the Federal Agency for the Management of Seized Property, civil society groups and external experts.

This event was part of the regional project “Strengthening the fight against transnational organized crime in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use”. The project is supported financially by Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.