Category: Uncategorized

Hunting Saleh’s treasure – CiFAR’s interview with the Zenith magazine

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

The assets of Yemeni ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was murdered in 2017, are probably distributed among at least 20 countries. The repatriation of the illegally accumulated funds is proving to be particularly tricky. In early 2020, CiFAR published a report Yemen’s Stolen Assets: Past and Future, explaining both some of the challenges that led to Read more about Hunting Saleh’s treasure – CiFAR’s interview with the Zenith magazine[…]

Written by:
Lucia Cizmaziova on 18/09/2020.

Angola: From the Dos Santos recovery towards the future?

Posted on by Jackson Oldfield

In mid-August, Angola was again in the news over the conviction of José Filomeno dos Santos, the ex-governor of Angola’s national bank and two others, for fraud and influence peddling relating to the transfer of USD 500,000 from the Angolan National Bank to a bank account in the UK. This case though comes as part Read more about Angola: From the Dos Santos recovery towards the future?[…]

Written by:
Jackson Oldfield on 04/09/2020.

Statement on safeguarding

Posted on by Jackson Oldfield

In recent days, allegations have emerged of sexual harassment related to an external trainer used by CiFAR in one of our programmes in 2017-2018. We take these allegations very seriously and are committed to ensuring that we fully give effect to our zero tolerance policy on harassment and discrimination. In light of and as a Read more about Statement on safeguarding[…]

Written by:
Jackson Oldfield on 01/09/2020.

The end of Europe’s last dictatorship?

Posted on by Agatino Camarda

Massive protests in Belarus’ capital Minsk are making the headlines worldwide. Demonstrators accuse the Belarus government of having massively rigged the election result of 9 August, while the regime has been heavily cracking down on the protests and journalists: thousands of people were arrested, allegedly tortured, hundreds were injured and two people have died. Notwithstanding Read more about The end of Europe’s last dictatorship?[…]

Written by:
Agatino Camarda on 21/08/2020.

COVID-19 and asset recovery: an overview

Posted on by Jackson Oldfield

The global health pandemic may, on its face, have little to do with cross-border corruption and asset recovery. Look a little beneath the surface though and it becomes clear that the challenges posed by the pandemic have far reaching implications for the prevention of cross-border corruption and the recovery of stolen assets. Pandemic-related challenges The Read more about COVID-19 and asset recovery: an overview[…]

Written by:
Jackson Oldfield on 16/07/2020.

What are the EU misappropriation sanctions and what are we doing about them?

Posted on by Lucia Cizmaziova

With the help of their corrupt networks, kleptocrats steal billions from their citizens every year. One of the tools the European Union has at its disposal to fight kleptocrats are sanctions that freeze their assets. On 6th of March, at a Brussels event co-organised by our partners at Transparency International EU, CiFAR launched EU Sanctions Watch – Read more about What are the EU misappropriation sanctions and what are we doing about them?[…]

Written by:
Lucia Cizmaziova on 19/03/2019.

What are the EU sanctions and why are they important?

Posted on by Laila Martin

During the protests in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011, which led to the removal of longtime dictators Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, the Council of the European Union did something remarkable and, at the time, relatively unprecedented – it issued a regulation to its member states which pre-emptively froze the assets held Read more about What are the EU sanctions and why are they important?[…]

Written by:
Laila Martin on 18/02/2017.

The Tunisian Job: How to recover 13 billion dollars stolen by the Ben Ali family

Posted on by Laila Martin

Zine el Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia in January 2011 following popular protests which ended his 23-year rule at the start of what became known as the Arab Spring. It is no secret how the ruler and his family enriched themselves during that period. The World Bank estimates the wealth of the Ben Ali family Read more about The Tunisian Job: How to recover 13 billion dollars stolen by the Ben Ali family[…]

Written by:
Laila Martin on 08/11/2016.

Fighting stolen assets in Italy: a chat with the Osservatorio sulla ndrangheta

Posted on by Agatino Camarda
Today we talked with our friends and partners at the Osservatorio contro la ndrangheta, a cultural association based in Reggio Calabria, Italy. The Osservatorio has been active against  organised crime - ndrangheta, as the mafia in Calabria is known - since 2007 through research, awareness raising and education with schools and universities, including the Humboldt Read more about Fighting stolen assets in Italy: a chat with the Osservatorio sulla ndrangheta[…]
Written by:
Agatino Camarda on 24/10/2016.

Is there a happy ending when recovering assets?

Posted on by Laila Martin

The asset recovery process is cumbersome, long and expensive. In fact, the average asset recovery process lasts over six years. However, there are cases that last much longer. Successful cross-border asset tracing and recovery requires the following steps: – Tracing and identifying the assets. It is necessary not just to locate the assets and funds Read more about Is there a happy ending when recovering assets?[…]

Written by:
Laila Martin on 04/10/2016.