On 16 September 2020, a webinar on the Council of Europe anti-corruption and anti-money laundering standards and monitoring mechanisms was held online for partner institutions in Uzbekistan. The activty was organised in co-operation with the Academy of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The webinar brought together the authorities of Uzbekistan primarily involved in anti-corruption and anti-money laundering / countering financing of terrorism activities, including the General Prosecutor’s Office and its Academy, the newly created Anticorruption Agency, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The Council of Europe standards and monitoring mechanisms received a lot of attention from counterparts in Uzbekistan, who wanted to understand in greater details the advantages of membership as well as country expectations. Similarly, participants were curious to get a better understanding of the systemic requirements for jurisdictions under CETS 198, such as the reversed burden of proof and practices in existing member states.

The webinar was organised within the action "Promoting Transparency and Action against Economic Crime” in the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023 which is a joint initiative co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The action aims at strengthening capacities to fight and prevent economic crime in five Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan.