On 19 April, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Morocco in Strasbourg sent the Secretary General of the Council of Europe:
- the instrument of accession to the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism (CETS No. 198)
- the instrument of ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (CETS No. 211)
Both Conventions will enter into force for Morocco on 1 August 2022.
The Council of Europe decided to update and widen its 1990 Convention to take into account the fact that not only could terrorism be financed through money laundering from criminal activity, but also through legitimate activities. This new Convention is the first international treaty covering both the prevention and the control of money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The text addresses the fact that quick access to financial information or information on assets held by criminal organisations, including terrorist groups, is the key to successful preventive and repressive measures, and, ultimately, is the best way to stop them. The Convention includes a mechanism to ensure the proper implementation by Parties of its provisions.
The Council of Europe Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (CETS No. 211), known as the Medicrime Convention (CETS No. 211) is the first international criminal law instrument to oblige States Parties to criminalise:
- the manufacturing of counterfeit medical products;
- supplying, offering to supply and trafficking in counterfeit medical products;
- the falsification of documents;
- the unauthorised manufacturing or supplying of medicinal products and the placing on the market of medical devices which do not comply with conformity requirements.
The Convention provides a framework for national and international co-operation across the different sectors of the public administration, measures for coordination at national level, preventive measures for use by public and private sectors and protection of victims and witnesses. Furthermore, it foresees the establishment of a monitoring body to oversee the implementation of the Convention by the States Parties.
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