International asset recovery

We are developing initiatives to actively engage national law enforcement bodies in coordinated efforts to trace, seize and return stolen public funds to the country of origin.

The theft of public assets by corrupt leaders has a major impact on society, particularly in developing countries. It diverts money from services such as healthcare and education, it erodes public trust and threatens governance.

Stolen assets are unlikely to remain in the country from which they were stolen but are often concealed in foreign jurisdictions, giving the crime an international dimension. The process of asset recovery is complex and time consuming and involves multiple countries. As such, there is a clear need for concerted action on a global level.

INTERPOL's activities

INTERPOL’s anti-corruption and asset recovery initiatives are grouped under a concept known as  UMBRA. The overall aim is to promote and increase the exchange of corruption information and anti-corruption methodologies globally, from all law enforcement agencies and national anti-corruption entities responsible for the fight against corruption. UMBRA will also deploy technical assistance to INTERPOL member countries to assist with operational support and capacity building.

Connecting experts around the world

A key tool within the UMBRA concept is the Global Focal Point platform, supported by INTERPOL and StAR. This is a secure contacts database of law enforcement officials who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to emergency requests for assistance. Such a service is crucial in asset recovery cases where lack of immediate action may cause law enforcement to lose a money trail.

The Global Focal Point platform is available to authorized users through the secure I-24/7 police network operated by INTERPOL. This platform allows the transmission of sensitive information between Focal Points. It also allows, on a more restricted basis, the participation of non-law-enforcement partners, regional and international organizations.

This communication tool includes comprehensive data from around 100 INTERPOL member countries so far regarding:

• Contact details for initial enquiries;
• Key offices involved in foreign stolen asset recovery;
• The different types of requests required to initiate assistance;
• The types of assistance available for Mutual Legal Assistance requests ( MLA);
• Evidence needed to open criminal investigations or initiate civil action regarding stolen or embezzled assets;
• The type of information needed to obtain assistance in identifying, tracing, or seizing stolen assets;
• The countries that have the authority to enforce foreign forfeiture judgments.

The platform has already been used successfully by African and Asian countries in ongoing asset recovery cases to obtain more information on funds that have been transferred abroad.

Partners

We have been working closely in this endeavour with the  StAR Initiative, run jointly by the World Bank and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). StAR supports international efforts to fight corruption and especially to put an end to safe havens for corrupt funds. They work with developing countries and major financial markets to prevent proceeds from being laundered, and to help return stolen assets as quickly as possible.

Events

The first StAR-INTERPOL Asset Recovery Focal Points Meeting took place in Vienna, Austria, in December 2010. The event was organized by INTERPOL and the StAR Initiative, in cooperation with the US Department of State.

The objective of this meeting was to assess how INTERPOL could best assist in the coordination of the database, and discuss key actions required to strengthen international cooperation amongst anti-corruption and asset recovery practitioners. More than 42 INTERPOL member countries were represented, with a total of 75 participants and observers – including investigators, prosecutors and experts in the field of asset confiscation and recovery.

 See the media release (10 December 2010)

 Steps going forward (PDF)

The second StAR-INTERPOL Asset Recovery Focal Points Meeting was held in July 2011 at the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, France. More than 120 participants from anti-corruption agencies and international organizations adopted recommendations and provided feedback on the best way to exchange police information at the international level.

Registration

Membership of the Global Focal Point platform is open to all our member countries. Applicants should be from law enforcement, judiciary or an administrative authority with a focus on asset recovery or corruption in general.

Requests for membership should be sent by email to both the  Anti-Corruption Office at INTERPOL's General Secretariat and the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) of the country in question. Once the registration process is complete, the Focal Point will be provided with log-in details in order to access the platform directly.