Înapoi Advancing prosecution and adjudication of money laundering cases in Azerbaijan

Advancing prosecution and adjudication of money laundering cases in Azerbaijan

Bilateral meetings were organised with national authorities in Azerbaijan to advance the prosecution and adjudication of money laundering and asset recovery cases. Discussions were held with the Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Anti-Corruption General Directorate under the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Financial Monitoring Service and the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan.

The focus of these meetings was:

  • the Supreme Court’s Plenary Decision, dated February 2023. This plenary decision guides the judiciary and law enforcement in the prosecution and processing of money laundering cases.
  • the mechanisms used by the national authorities for the seizure and confiscation of illicit proceeds of economic crimes. Currently, the Government of Azerbaijan is introducing extended and non-conviction-based confiscation instruments, which would lead to a more effective framework for the recovery of proceeds from crime for the benefit of the Azerbaijani state and society.

The critical aspect of whether a conviction for a predicate offence shall or shall not be a prerequisite for a conviction for money laundering and the challenges faced by national authorities in the area of prosecution and adjudication of money laundering and asset recovery cases, were discussed.

The meetings concluded that money laundering as a standalone offence needs to be further enhanced and explained in the Supreme Court’s Plenary Decision. Additional suggestions for good practices in the area of processing money laundering and asset recovery cases will be delivered to the national authorities as a follow-up to these bilateral meetings.

These meetings are part of the of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project "Preventing and fighting economic crime in Azerbaijan”.

Baku, Azerbaijan 19-20 September 2023
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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