From 29 May 2018 until 1 June 2018, the CoE/EU Horizontal Facility Action against Economic Crime in Albania (HF-AEC-AL) organized a study visit for the Albanian asset recovery and management authorities to Rotterdam and Bleiswijk in the Netherlands, and to Brussels, Belgium. Representatives from the Albanian Prosecution Office, the Directorate for Investigation of Economic and Financial Crimes at the Albanian State Police, Serious Crimes Court and Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets, took part in the exchange program designed under the Action in cooperation with the host institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium. During the study visit, Albanian authorities had a chance to see and discuss the operations of the International Legal assistance Department at the Dutch National Public Prosecutors Office for Serious Fraud, Environmental Crimes and Asset Confiscation in Rotterdam, the Movable Goods Agency in Bleiswijk, the Belgian Central Office for Seizure and Confiscation (Office Central pour la Saisie et la Confiscation, COSC), Finshop Brussels, and the division of Patrimonial Services in the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Service of debt collection at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Brussels.

In the Netherlands, participants discussed a multidisciplinary approach to improve confiscation results, the object and value-based confiscation orders, illegal money transfer services and developing typologies of money-laundering and terrorist financing including the seizure and confiscation of virtual currencies such as bitcoin, and execution of confiscation orders on behalf of foreign counterparts. With regards to the asset management, participants were introduced to the organisation and functioning of Asset Management Offices and Regional Seizure Houses in the Netherlands and visited the venue where assets are deposited off in Bleiswijk. They discussed with the Head of the Movable Goods Agency and policy officers the challenges to effectively manage assets and the interim measures to sell or preserve assets of allegedly illicit origin.

In Belgium, participants exchanged views with COSC officials on the operating practices for confiscation and processes for ensuring that assets achieve optimum return with minimum expenditure, as well as ease of disposal and transparency. Meetings with the Federal Ministry of Finance helped get first-hand information on asset recovery from an administrative point of view, as well as on the practice whereby before returning of restrained property measures are taken to establish whether the beneficiary of seized funds has any debt to the State, including social security tax.

The visit is expected to inform the development of the new Asset Recovery Strategy and establishment of a multi-disciplinary Asset Recovery Agency and Asset Management Office in Albania.