The new Anti-Money Laundering Law, which came into force in Ukraine on 28 April 2020, has also introduced a new version of the money laundering offence. This change resulted in confronting legal practitioners, including prosecutors, with a number of challenges related to the effective implementation of the amended money laundering offence.
In order to support prosecutors, enhance their understanding of the new money laundering offence and develop their related practical skills, the Council of Europe, together with the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine, developed and delivered a three-day online training course on “Effective investigation and prosecution of money laundering”. Twenty-four prosecutors representing the Prosecutor General’s Office as well as regional and district public prosecution offices benefited from the training.
The trainers included both international and national experts. This multinational team of trainers ensured that the training program covered different practical perspectives and technical angles. A well-balanced combination of theoretical presentations and practical exercises created a comfortable atmosphere during the training with active interaction between participants. The training encompassed strategic issues like international standards and obligations in the area of money laundering, human rights considerations and European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case-law, which was followed with more operational and hands-on topics such as proving money laundering cases, using international cooperation, peculiarities of prosecutorial guidance and considerations on the role of a prosecutor in money laundering cases, preparation for the court trial and public prosecution.
With a view to ensuring the sustainability of this activity, the Council of Europe is also working on a dedicated handbook on money laundering identification, investigation and prosecution for Ukraine. The handbook is expected to provide a helping hand for prosecutors when dealing with money laundering cases.
The training course was developed and delivered as part of the EU / Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) II Project on “Strengthening measures to counter money laundering and financing of terrorism in Ukraine”, which is co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.