The Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia organised on June 2-3 a hybrid training on” Corporate Criminal Liability” for the representatives of Georgian law enforcement agencies.

The event brought together 25 experienced investigators and prosecutors from the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Security Service, and the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance. During the training sessions, participants discussed the challenges they face in imposing criminal liability on legal entities.

In discussing the current investigative techniques and strategies with the Council of Europe expert, participants agreed on the paramount relevance that international cooperation has on corporate liability, and how instrumental it can be to establish solid formal or informal mechanisms that ensure effective interagency coordination.

The benefits of self-disclosure – despite its non-binding nature- together with the mechanisms for internal investigation were also highlighted by the Council of Europe´s international expert. Illustrated with real cases, the training was also an opportunity for participants to learn about the relevance of whistleblowers, but also of the risks associated with whistleblowing and of the need for whistleblowing protection.

During the discussions particular attention was paid to exchanging on the mechanisms of establishing effective sanctions and possible ways of finding alternative solutions. The presentations were enriched by case studies that led to lively exchanges on criminal liability for economic crimes.

This training was the third activity organised under PGG II on the topic for the same beneficiary institutions. After these meetings over 80 practitioners are better trained on the how-to of corporate criminal liability and the imposing of proportionate and dissuasive sanctions with respect to democracy and the rule of law.

This event is a part of series of activities designed to support Georgian national authorities in improving their frameworks and operational capacities for the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing and other economic crime cases.

The activity was organised in the framework of the project “Enhancing the systems of prevention and combating corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing in Georgia”, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II.