Armenia

Council of Europe Office in Yerevan

Within the framework of the Armenian Platform of the European Prosecutors’ Dialogue, and on the occasion of Prosecutor’s Office Employee Day and the 108th anniversary of the founding of the Prosecutor’s Office, an international high-level two-day conference titled “Following the Trail of Illegally Acquired Property: Criminal Prosecution, Asset Recovery and Management of Confiscated Property, and Strengthening the Victim-Centred Approach in Criminal Justice” was held on July 1-2, 2026, in Yerevan.

Building on the success of high-level prosecutorial conferences organised from 2023–2025, the establishment of the Armenian Platform of the European Prosecutors’ Dialogue marked a step forward towards a more resilient, corruption-resistant system.

Bringing together prosecutors, high-ranking justice officials, and international experts from more than ten countries’ the event was attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of the National Assembly Armenia Alen Simonyan, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan, and senior representatives of the executive and judicial branches.

Demonstrating the strong regional and European interest in the dialogue, the event was attended by Lithuania’s Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė, Estonia’s Astrid Asi, and Latvia’s Armīns Meisters. Delegations from Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Italy, and Poland were also present.

Welcoming the participants, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan stated that Armenia had achieved significant results through establishing the platform for prosecutors while also increasing co-operation and exchanges among the Council of Europe member states.

Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, stated that the EU highly values its partnership with Armenia on justice reforms and the rule of law, noting Armenia’s recent efforts to modernise its legal and institutional framework, improve law enforcement and prosecution efficiency, and align with European standards.

Hanne Juncher, Director of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law at the Council of Europe, praised Armenia’s significant reforms to strengthen anti‑corruption and anti‑money‑laundering systems – recognised in GRECO and MONEYVAL evaluations, including MONEYVAL’s recent 6th round. She recommended further institutional strengthening and highlighted the importance of sustained political support for continued advancement.

During the two-day conference, participants discussed issues related to the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes, detection, freezing, management, and confiscation of illicit assets, as well as victim-centred justice. Special attention has been dedicated to the complex financial crimes, including fraud involving artificial intelligence, criminal schemes using crypto-assets, and effective mechanisms for detecting and investigating money laundering and corruption-related offenses. Discussions also covered effective models for managing illicit assets, the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights regarding illegally acquired property, and international best practices in protecting the rights and interests of victims of crime.

Last but not least, a dedicated side event on the Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention was held within the framework of the “Armenian Platform for European Prosecutors’ Dialogue.” The session focused on the Protocol’s relevance for prosecutorial practice, with particular attention to its legal and operational dimensions. It also served to support alignment with broader European standards and to strengthen Armenia’s engagement in international judicial cooperation mechanisms.

Upon closing the conference, there was clear consensus among participants on the added value of such dialogue in terms of reinforcing professional ties and partnerships, and building the capacities of member states in combating financial crime and recovering illicit assets with a victim-centred approach.

This event is part of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the Project on “Enhancing national capacities for effective prevention and fight against economic crime in Armenia”.