Gashi: Assets created through crime must be confiscated and returned to the state and victims

Chief State Prosecutor Zejnulla Gashi has called for financial investigations to be intensified and measures to be taken to confiscate assets obtained through criminal activity.

He took part in a meeting organized by the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, UNDP, UNODC and the Basel Institute on Governance, where participants exchanged experiences on financial investigations, the confiscation of assets in corruption cases and the role of the Asset Recovery Office.

In his speech, Gashi stressed that tackling corruption and other forms of complex crime requires more than criminal prosecution. According to him, the process must also include financial investigations and the identification of assets created through criminal activities.

“Illegally obtained assets must be traced, seized and ultimately confiscated, while illegally acquired proceeds must be returned to the state and the victims who have suffered as a result of criminal activities,” Gashi said.

He said the meeting aimed to strengthen cooperation between the participating institutions and countries, while also enabling the sharing of expertise and professional practices in financial investigations, the seizure, confiscation and recovery of assets.

The event brought together chief prosecutors and prosecutors from Kosovo, representatives of law enforcement institutions, representatives of Albania’s Special Prosecution Office (SPAK), prosecutors from the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office, as well as heads of Asset Recovery Offices from Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.