North Macedonia supported in countering illicit financial flows
21-24 June 2022, Vienna, Austria: UNODC delivered a four-day training course called ‘Points to Prove’ for a group of 11 judges and prosecutors from North Macedonia, focusing on Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) as part of the AML/CFT Court Preparation project which aims to assist the Member States in effectively investigating, arresting, prosecuting, convicting and disrupting terrorists, terrorist networks, and organized crime groups generously funded by the Government of Norway.
The AML/CFT Points to Prove workshop takes participants through their AML/CFT law and the elements of their AML/CFT offence with the overall aim of assisting judges and prosecutors to prepare sound case files linking the elements of the offence to the alleged conduct and evidence. As a result, prosecutors are better able to establish money laundering and terrorist financing offences in court and judges are better equipped to adjudicate such cases.
A team of four AML/CFT experts delivered the course by using localized scenarios reflecting the most common AML/CFT cases and by incorporating into the course materials the domestic legislative framework for prosecuting and seeking convictions of terrorists and terrorist networks.
This AML/CFT Points to Prove workshop is the first to be delivered under the Court Preparation project in North Macedonia which includes six progressively advanced courses that focus on various legal capacity- building areas.
This activity contributes to SDG 16, particularly Target 16.4 to significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets, and combat all forms of organized crime.