On 26 and 27 October 2015, the International Criminal Court (ICC) hosted at the seat of the Court in The Hague a workshop on cooperation and financial investigations. The workshop was an opportunity for participants, which included experts from 13 countries and 6 international organisations, to discuss operational measures and find solutions for cooperation challenges when working with the ICC to conduct financial investigations.
On 26 October, the workshop was launched with introductory remarks by ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel, ICC Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart, Senior Adviser of the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United Nations Jörn Oliver Eiermann, and Director of International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR)/Basel Institute Gretta Fenner.
Discussions were then lead by ICC staff from the Office of the Prosecutor and Registry on the Court’s mandate, legal framework and procedure in tracing, seizing, freezing and forfeiting assets of an ICC suspect or accused. Participants then explored avenues for cooperation in these actions, whether through States Parties, intergovernmental organizations, financial intelligence units or other actors.
On 27 October, participants discussed three specific scenarios in depth, in which the ICC would request cooperation at different stages of ICC proceedings. The scenarios involved different levels of information required depending on whether the request was in regard to tracing, seizing, freezing or forfeiting the assets. This exercise helped to clarify and pinpoint solutions to practical challenges faced when cooperating. The workshop concluded by identifying two main action points: first, for the ICC to continue explaining to States Parties the specificities of its mandate in relation to financial investigations, and second, for the ICC and States Parties to develop regular bilateral contacts with the aim of finding ways to improve cooperation in the field of financial investigations.
This workshop was made possible by the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, the International Centre for Asset Recovery, and the European Commission. The ICC thanks these organisations as well as all workshop participants, and looks forward to improved cooperation going forward.
