The results of the Joint EAG and CCPG Prosecutors' Forum on “Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing”

On 13-14 November 2024 in Minsk, Republic of Belarus, the first Joint Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (hereinafter – the EAG) and the Coordination Council of Prosecutors General of CIS Member States (hereinafter – the CIS CCPG) forum for prosecutors on ‘Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism’ (hereinafter - the Forum) was held. The delegations of the states attended the Forum represented in EAG and CIS CCPG: the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as invited delegations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS Member States, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO Member States.

During the Forum, delegations discussed the participation of prosecution authorities in enhancing the effectiveness of national AML/CFT systems, increasing their role in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, international cooperation in the recovery of criminal assets, addressing emerging difficulties in mutual legal assistance, and participation in national interagency formats on AML/CFT.

The forum delegates shared national experience in establishing interagency cooperation between prosecutor's offices and financial intelligence units, asset recovery activities, proposals to improve legal regulation of anti-criminal cooperation, organisation of electronic interaction in mutual legal assistance and other cooperation, minimisation of regional ML/TF risks, and use of virtual assets for criminal purposes.

Based on the results of the Forum, the delegations call upon the States represented in the EAG and the CIS CRCG, as well as the EAG Observers:

• Increase the involvement of prosecution authorities in ensuring the effectiveness of national AML/CFT systems, as well as their participation in preparing the states represented in the EAG and the CIS CRCG for a new round of mutual evaluations of the effectiveness of national AML/CFT systems.
• Increase the involvement and coordinating role of prosecution authorities in ensuring quality, comprehensive and appropriate international cooperation in the AML/CFT sphere, including in asset recovery.
• Improve the national legal framework in asset recovery for compliance with international AML/CFT standards.
• Actively participate in the CIS CCPG and EAG projects to update the international legal framework in the sphere of mutual legal assistance and asset recovery, as well as improve the mechanisms for exchanging mutual legal assistance requests and their results.
• Explore the impact of modern innovations in science and technology, including artificial intelligence on their use by criminals in ML, TF and predicate offences, as well as the possibility of using such innovations in the activities of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
• Participate in the EAG project on creating a joint secure mechanism of electronic interaction in the field of mutual legal assistance.
• Utilise the findings of national and regional AML/CFT risk assessments when planning and implementing national crime strategies. Increase the focus on combating cross-border offences that pose a high ML and TF threat.
• Improve the methodology and the practice of financial investigations in the AML/CFT sphere taking into account relevant EAG documents and actively cooperating with the EAG to raise awareness of the mechanisms and objectives of financial investigations.