The OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Skopje, delivered a training course on improved interagency co-operation for effective financial investigations on 21 and 22 January.
In opening the event, the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Basic Prosecutor's Office Skopje, Gavril Bubevski, highlighted that the "effective punishment of organized crimes is impossible without uncovering illicitly gained assets and ensuring their confiscation. Establishing clear procedures for all the institutions working on financial investigations is essential to ensure corruption and organized crime do not go undetected and unpunished."
This event supports North Macedonia's commitment to consistently conducting financial investigations in all cases involving illicit property, where interagency co-operation is critical to the successful identification, seizure and confiscation of illegally acquired assets. Through interactive discussions and hands-on simulations of case studies, participants explored strategies for overcoming current challenges.
"We are in an era where the fight against financial crime is not only about tracking illicit transactions but also about understanding the broader impact on our economies, communities and societies. By leveraging our collective knowledge and resources, we can drive meaningful change and ensure that those who exploit the system face justice," stated Mr Michael McKee, Law Enforcement Attaché at the United States Embassy in Skopje.
The activity brought together the main institutions involved in financial investigations in North Macedonia. These included the Criminal Investigation Sector and the Financial Investigations Sector of the Police, prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor Office for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Skopje, Gostivar and Shtip, Customs Administration, the Ministry of Finance and Agency for the Management of Seized and Confiscated Assets.
The training course was organized as part of the OSCE extra-budgetary project "Strengthening Efforts to Combat Organized Crime in the OSCE Region," funded by Austria, Germany, Italy and the United States of America.
