The Republic of Moldova took over the chairmanship of the Balkan Network of Asset Management Agencies for seized criminal assets
21 September 2023, Chisinau – For the first time, the 2023 Annual General Assembly of the Balkan Network of Asset Management Agencies (BAMIN) meets under the chairmanship of the Republic of Moldova. This is the first time that a country from outside the Balkan area has taken over the chairmanship of this international structure.
Attending the 2023 Annual General Assembly, Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru spoke about the need to fight corruption – a commitment of the Republic of Moldova, made when it became a candidate country for accession to the European Union: “Fighting corruption is a priority of the current government. The Ministry of Justice is taking all necessary actions to ensure that the mechanisms for confiscation and recovery of illegally obtained assets are recovered and returned to the state and citizens of the Republic of Moldova”, said Veronica Mihailov-Moraru.
In the context of the opening event she attended, the Minister of Justice held a press conference. “It is to be appreciated that the Criminal Asset Recovery Agency has managed to integrate into the international community, through the intensification of cooperation actions and the assumption of the BAMIN presidency in 2023. It is an honour for the Republic of Moldova and it is a prerequisite for strengthening institutional capacities and taking over the best practices from the countries of this network in the segment of recovery of criminal assets”, stressed Veronica Mihailov-Moraru.
The fight against corruption and the adoption of an effective legislative package in this regard, which would include the establishment of effective mechanisms for the confiscation, prosecution and recovery of criminal assets, are priority actions for the current Government, including in the context of fulfilling the conditions of the Action Plan for the implementation of the measures proposed by the European Commission in its Opinion on Moldova’s application for accession to the European Union.
