Author: Lucia Cizmaziova

What are countries doing to investigate and confiscate sanctioned assets belonging to Russian oligarchs?

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

Information and references referred to in this blog can be found in this Overview Country Table To answer this question, CiFAR has recently conducted research published in a report From Sanctions to Investigations. Legislation, policy and practice linking investigations into the origins of sanctioned assets and recommendations for governments to strengthen the investigation and confiscation Read more about <strong>What are countries doing to investigate and confiscate sanctioned assets belonging to Russian oligarchs?</strong>[…]

Anti-corruption sanctions: 2023 in numbers

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

In 2023, sanctions continued to be a popular tool of foreign policy and many new individuals and entities were designated for one reason or another. As CiFAR launches its updated Sanctions Watch platform today, which tracks individuals sanctioned for reasons related to corruption, this blog takes stock of the changed listings across key anti-corruption sanctions Read more about Anti-corruption sanctions: 2023 in numbers[…]

FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIONS AS A FIRST STEP TO RECOVER SANCTIONED ASSETS

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

Is it possible to confiscate sanctioned assets and use them for public good? How to do this quickly and without compromising the rule of law? These are some of the questions that CiFAR has been trying to understand since the freezing of Tunisian, Egyptian and Ukrainian assets under the EU’s misappropriation sanctions. These questions became Read more about <strong>FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIONS AS A FIRST STEP TO RECOVER SANCTIONED ASSETS</strong>[…]

Asset recovery data availability – small steps forward

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

The United Nations World Data Forum which builds a pathway to better data for sustainable development, and which took place in Hangzhou at the end of April, offered a moment to reflect on data availability across the Sustainable Development Goals framework, including SDG 16.4. As we have written before, there is currently no indicator that Read more about Asset recovery data availability – small steps forward[…]

Returning assets indirectly through third-party entities

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

Read our new report – Indirect Asset Return Through Third-Party Entities Indirect return mechanisms describe the practice of returning recovered money across borders indirectly via third-party entities that stand between cooperating governments. These entities might be called in to aid in the negotiations, as well as in the process of the distribution of the returned Read more about Returning assets indirectly through third-party entities[…]

Anti-corruption sanctions: 2022 in numbers

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

While sanctions lists have grown this year primarily due to new listings in connection to individuals linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, anti-corruption sanctions have not been forgotten. As CiFAR launches its updated Sanctions Watch platform today, which tracks individuals sanctioned for reasons related to corruption, this blog takes stock of this year’s changes in Read more about Anti-corruption sanctions: 2022 in numbers[…]

WEBINAR: Enforcing sanctions successfully and using fines for the public good.

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

Online event: 25 January 2023, 16:00 – 17:15 CET Event link Background The successful enforcement of sanctions relies on the action and compliance of a range of actors across cooperating jurisdictions, from financial institutions to the business sector. Several jurisdictions have, or are thinking of introducing, legislative or policy tools to ensure and respond to Read more about WEBINAR: Enforcing sanctions successfully and using fines for the public good.[…]

Unexplained Wealth Orders: A New Tool for Asset Recovery?

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

CiFAR has launched a new report Unexplained Wealth Orders: A New Tool for Asset Recovery? This report assesses the efficiency of Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs), primarily as existing in UK legislation, in advancing asset recovery and the fight against grand corruption. The report introduces the UWO legislation, explores how, when and where UWOs have been Read more about Unexplained Wealth Orders: A New Tool for Asset Recovery?[…]

WEBINAR: Opportunities for the confiscation of sanctioned assets.

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

Online event: 3 November 2022, 16:00 – 17:15 CET Event link Link to the webinar recording Background Sanctions imposed on Russian individuals in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 once again highlighted the issue of the vast amount of assets of illicit origin that are hidden across Western jurisdictions.       One Read more about WEBINAR: Opportunities for the confiscation of sanctioned assets.[…]

Are we making a progress on strengthening the recovery and return of stolen assets (SDG 16.4)?

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

During this year’s 77th Session of the UN General Assembly, the 19th of September was dedicated to the SDG Moment – an opportunity to look back at the incredible progress achieved already on the path towards sustainable development, and to highlight the considerable challenges still lying ahead.  So how does the world fair in its commitment Read more about Are we making a progress on strengthening the recovery and return of stolen assets (SDG 16.4)?[…]