UNODC is strengthening Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism capacities of North Macedonia

25-27 September, Berovo, North Macedonia: UNODC delivered a 3-day training course for judges and prosecutors from North Macedonia, focusing on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), specifically on court applications including search warrants and special investigative measures where prosecutors enhanced their skills to apply court applications in ML/FT cases and the judges to adjudicate such cases.

The workshop on court applications including search warrants and special investigative measures is the third to be delivered under the AML/CFT Court Preparation project, which includes five progressively advanced courses focusing on various legal capacity building areas. A significant portion of the course was devoted to cases from European court decisions on ML as well as international standards regarding minimal evidence in ML cases. The experts delivering the training shared European court decisions on irregularities during the investigation/prosecution phase as well as sources of information to support court applications to open an ML/FT investigation and how it can be implemented in the legal system in North Macedonia. Course materials also incorporated the domestic legislative framework used when prosecuting and seeking convictions of terrorists, terrorist networks and organized criminal groups.

The CFT part of the course focused on the use of intelligence to support court applications, presenting surveillance and interception applications as well as difficulties in pursuing FT prosecutions and alternative options. Real-life cases were shared to illustrate European practice on such convictions and to discuss criteria to start a FT investigation and the use of Special Investigative Measures in CFT.

The workshop was delivered by AML/CFT experts from the UK and the Netherlands and funded by the Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State.