While supporting Romanian authorities with the development of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Action Plan of Romania, the Council of Europe Economic Crime and Cooperation Division (ECCD) is also assisting Romanian authorities with implementing specific measures identified in the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (ML/TF) National Risk Assessment (NRA) process conducted pursuant to the Methodology designed by the ECCD of the Council of Europe.

For instance, training needs for prosecutors and law-enforcement have been identified at the early stage of the NRA drafting. Those concern more specifically the area of financial investigations of ML cases. To support the authorities in this regard, the project has organised a two-day training on 6-7 July 2022, in Bucharest, Romania. The course was attended by 31 representatives of the National Office for Prevention and Control of Money Laundering (the Romanian Financial Intelligence Unit – FIU), Romanian Police and General Prosecutor’s Office.

The training has been launched with an overview of relevant international standards on money laundering offences, focusing on the importance of investigating and prosecuting stand-alone money laundering offence, taking into consideration the provisions of the 2018 EU Directive on Combating Money Laundering by Criminal Law. Furthermore, participants were trained how to collect and develop evidence when conducting financial investigations. In the second part of the training, representatives of competent authorities have been working and analysing practical case scenarios. The exercises provided an opportunity to put into practice the financial investigations techniques presented by the trainers and solve case examples in close cooperation with representatives of all relevant institutions involved in the investigation and prosecution process of ML/TF cases.

This training was one step in a wider effort of supporting Romania with strengthening is AML/CFT regime. The Council of Europe will further support the authorities in this specific area by additionally enhancing the authorities’ capacities to conduct financial investigations aiming to ensure sustainability of the financial investigations framework.

This event was organised within the framework of the Structural Reform Support Programme initiative “Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risk Compliance: Implementing a National Mechanism to Assess and Manage Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risks in Romania”, funded by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Structural Reform Support and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.