ANEEJ PRESENTS ASSET RECOVERY REPORT AT GFAR SUMMIT WASHINGTON DC TODAY
Background and Objectives
The inaugural Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) begins today, 4th December 2017 in Washington DC to end on the 6th. It is being hosted by both the United Kingdom and the United States with support from the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR). Its inaugural meeting will focus on assistance to four priority countries: Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Ukraine.
This Forum is the place for partnership and collective action, bringing together partners, and officials from throughout these countries to coordinate action-steps. It provides a platform to empower the investigators and prosecutors charged with identifying and tracing assets and getting necessary cooperation with financial centers in recovering and returning them.
The deliverables for GFAR will include progress on cases achieved by the four focus countries, increased capacity through technical sessions, renewed commitment to advancing asset recovery cases, and increased collaboration among involved jurisdictions. https://star.worldbank.org/star/about-us/global-forum-asset-recovery-gfar
Civil Society Agenda
The Civil Society agenda for the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) is open to delegates from all countries, whether they be from law enforcement, the judiciary or government bodies (with the exception of two closed CSO strategy sessions). Civil Society welcomes engagement with authorities and government on how to develop best practices in relation to asset tracing and asset recovery policy.The agenda is designed to share experiences between CSOs and law enforcement, the judiciary and government bodies relating to asset recovery issues and challenges and discuss in an interactive and participatory manner how to develop best practice on some of these issues.
Monday 4th December 2017
8:00- 9:00 Registration for CSOs – pick up security badges and GFAR materials
1850 I Street NW- Lobby
8:00- 9:00 Breakfast available outside of meeting room “I 2-250”
9:00-9:30 Introduction to CSO Sessions
StAR will present an overview of the GFAR to CSOs.
9:30-10:30 CSO Strategy Meeting (closed)
10:30–11.00 Overview of Asset Tracing & Recovery Process
This session will look at the 4 stages of the asset recovery process, with the aim of the session being to allow CSO’s to talk through their experience at each stage and exchange experiences.
Speaker and moderator: Joe Spicer (ICAR)
11..15-11.30 Coffee Break
11.30-12.15 How CSOs can conduct investigations into asset theft
This session will give an overview of the type of investigative work CSOs are doing in destination countries, discussing the role of CSOs in the OPL245 investigation, and look at best practice in engagement between law enforcement and CSOs.
Speaker and moderator: Jon Benton, The Sentry
12.30-13.15 Working Lunchtime session: How CSO’s can use litigation to intervene in and enhance the Asset Recovery process
This session will look at the recent litigation brought by CSOs in relation to asset recovery, including the case brought by CSOs in France against Teodor Obiang in Equatorial Guinea, and how CSOs in Nigeria and Tunisia have used litigation to challenge obstacles to asset recovery.
Moderator: Fatima Kanji, International State Crime Initiative, Queen Mary University of London
Speakers:, Ken Hurwitz, Open Society Foundation
Youssef Belgacem (Iwatch)
Timothy Adewale (SERAP)
13.15-14.15 Overcoming Obstacles to Asset Recovery: presentation of CSO recommendations in discussion with government representatives.
Civil Society Organisations have prepared reports on their country’s asset recovery efforts for the following countries: Tunisia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, UK, US, France and Switzerland. This session will present the main recommendations from those reports for discussion and engagement with government representatives from each country.
Moderator: Gillian Dell, UNCAC Coalition
Speakers: Youssef Belgacem, IWatch (Tunisia), David Ugolor, ANEEJ (Nigeria), Maheshi Herat, Transparency International (Sri Lanka), Tetiana Shevchuk, ANTAC (Ukraine)
Susan Hawley, Corruption Watch
Government representatives from the Nigerian and UK governments
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14:30- 20:30 GFAR
CSO GFAR delegates may join the GFAR agenda for the afternoon sessions which are indicated on the GFAR agenda as “open” or “open to GFAR participants”
Tuesday 5th December 2017
8:00- 9:00 Breakfast available outside of meeting room “I 2-250”
9.00-10.15 Uncovering the Puppet Masters: Beneficial ownership and asset recovery
This session will focus on two aspects to Beneficial Ownership: how CSOs can investigate beneficial ownership information in their investigations; and how they can advocate for effective beneficial ownership registers, sharing experience from the Nigerian and Ukrainian contexts.
Moderator: Nate Sibley, Kleptocracy Initiative
Speakers: Debra La Pravatte, The Sentry
Stephen Baker, International Bar Association
Tetiana Shevchuk, ANTAC (Ukraine)
Auwal Musa, CISLAC (Nigeria)
10.15-10.30 Coffee Break
10.30-11.45 Asset Declarations and Ukraine’s Database on Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)
This session will focus on what is best practice in the establishment and running of asset declarations. It will look at how the asset declaration frameworks in GFAR focus countries, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ukraine, compare to best practice. It will also showcase the database established by Ukrainian CSOs on PEPs.
Moderator: Asoka Obeyesekere, Transparency International (Sri Lanka)
Speakers: Timothy Adewale, SERAP (Nigeria)
Laura Pop and Ivana Rossi, StAR
Daria Kaleniuk, ANTAC (Ukraine)
Dmitry Chaplinksy, White Collar Hundred (Ukraine)
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11:45- 18:00 GFAR
CSO GFAR delegates will join the GFAR agenda for the afternoon sessions which are indicated on the GFAR agenda as “open” or “open to GFAR participants”
Wednesday 6th December 2017
8:00- 9:00 Breakfast available outside of meeting room “I 2-250”
9.00-10.15 Monitoring Returned Assets: the role of Civil Society
This session will look at CSO experience of monitoring stolen assets that have been returned to their countries in the Nigerian and Ukrainian contexts. It will also address the question of what CSOs can contribute to working out how assets should be returned in the context where corrupt actors remain in power.
Moderator: Dr Otive Igbuzor, Centre-LSD (Nigeria)
Speakers: Rev David Ugolor, ANEEJ (Nigeria)
Tetiana Shevchuk, ANTAC (Ukraine)
Fatima Kanji, International State Crime Initiative, Queen Mary
University of London
10.15-10.30 Coffee Break
10.30-11.45 Brainstorming session on transparency standards for asset recovery
This session will be a participatory, interactive session looking at what information relating to asset recovery should be in the public domain, what are the obstacles to getting that information in the public domain, how to develop minimum standards of transparency for asset recovery and how the Open Government Partnership can be used to develop those standards.
Moderator: Agatino Camarda, Civil Forum for Asset Recovery
11.45-12.15 Final CSO Strategy session (closed)
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12:30- 18:15 GFAR
CSO GFAR delegates will join the GFAR agenda for the afternoon sessions which are indicated on the GFAR agenda as “open” or “open to GFAR participants”
Among documents to be in circulation at the Global Forum for Asset Recovery include a comprehensive newsbulletin of ANEEJ activity related to the GFAR summit in Washington DC, 4-6 December:
