In the period from July 19 to 20, 2022, the Second Forum of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism for representatives of law enforcement agencies and financial intelligence units of the EAG member states was held in Nur-Sultan city of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Forum was organized by the EAG Secretariat, the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Financial Monitoring, the International Training and Methodology Center for Financial Monitoring (ITMCFM, Russia).
The topic for discussion at the Forum was ensuring effective detection, investigation and judicial proceedings on criminal cases on laundering (legalization) of criminal proceeds (ML).
Chairman of the EAG - Director of Rosfinmonitoring Yuri Chikhanchin, Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Financial Monitoring Zhanat Elimanov and Executive Secretary of the EAG Sergey Teterukov addressed the Forum participants with welcoming speeches.
More than 100 people took part in the Forum, 25 speakers delivered reports and presentations, including representatives of the FATF Secretariat John Carlson and Dmitry Putyatin, international expert Igoris Krzechkovskis, Brigadier General of the Italian Financial Guard Maurizio Muscara, representative of the Swedish Prosecutor s Office Jan Tibbling, representatives of the FIU, law enforcement agencies and the judiciary of the EAG member states and observers.
The Forum showed that the study of detailed aspects of the identification, investigation and judicial review of ML crimes, both practical and theoretical, still does not lose its relevance in the EAG member states.
During the Forum sessions, the participants shared their experience and exchanged views on the regulation of the procedure for conducting financial investigations, national and international cooperation, the specifics of identifying, investigating and prosecuting ML cases from various types of predicate crimes.
The heads of delegations of the EAG member states also held a meeting in a narrow format on July 21, 2022, discussing in the context of the Forum agenda the results of the regional assessment of ML/TF risks and possible measures to minimize them, issues of exchange of experience on strengthening the knowledge and qualifications of participants in national AML/CFT systems using the example of training and methodological centers, as well as the need to develop a unified feedback form for the EAG member states on AML/CFT requests.
Following the meeting, the heads of delegations of the EAG member states noted the holding of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Forum and its results as a significant contribution to further strengthening of the national AML/CFT/CPF systems and increasing the expert potential of national experts, and also stressed the usefulness and further need for targeted activities for the subjects of national AML/CFT/CPF systems within the framework of typological projects carried out in the EAG.
The high level of organization and holding of the Forum was also noted by its participants.
The EAG Secretariat expresses its gratitude to all the Forum participants and speakers for their active participation and informative discussion, as well as to the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Financial Monitoring and the ITMCFM for assistance in organizing and holding the Forum.
The next similar Forum is planned to be held in 2023.
