EU to help Azerbaijan to improve its asset recovery system

The EU-funded Twinning project aimed at building an asset recovery and management system has been launched in Azerbaijan. A team of experts representing Lithuanian law enforcement agencies will work to develop a legislative and institutional framework and set up a full-fledged asset recovery body in Azerbaijan in line with EU and international best practices. The project, which started in February 2022, will be implemented for two years.

The kick-off event of the EU-funded Twinning project titled “Support to the reform of the Criminal Asset Recovery and Management System in Azerbaijan” took place on 18 May 2022 to officially mark the start of the project.  The event was attended by representatives of Prosecutor General’s Office and other law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan and Lithuania, the EU Delegation to Baku, the Lithuanian embassy to Azerbaijan and representatives of international projects and organizations based in Azerbaijan.  

Mr. Kamran Aliyev, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, made an opening speech noting that the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with the European Union through the implementation of Twinning and TAIEX and other effective programs which are very efficient European institutional capacity building tools in order to study international best practices. “This project is a clear example of initiatives implemented with the support of the European Union. As a result of the launch of this important project, our cooperation with the European Union will enter a qualitatively new stage.”

“To date, the European Union in Azerbaijan has substantially contributed to fighting against corruption and illegal financial flows through various bilateral and multilateral projects. With the project that we are officially launching today we will take a multidisciplinary approach by targeting three interrelated elements: the setting of European norms and standards in asset recovery, monitoring of compliance with the standards and capacity building of the responsible staff of the Prosecutor’s General Office,” noted Mr. Peter Michalko, EU Ambassador Azerbaijan.

Talking about the four main directions of the Twinning project, Mr. Vugar Aliyev, Beneficiary Project Leader, Head of the Department for Coordination of the Special Confiscation Issues, noted that it is planned to create a national Asset Recovery System through strategic planning and improvement of the legal framework, improvement of institutional structure and activity of the Special Confiscation Coordination Office as a full-fledged National Asset Recovery Office as part of the Twinning project. 

The overall objective of the project is to improve the efficiency of criminal justice through modernization of the asset recovery and management system in Azerbaijan in line with EU and international best practices.

The project will also develop a related asset recovery strategy and Action Plan, which would define priorities and objectives as well as standalone law on asset recovery based on the best EU and international experience.

The EU assistance in strengthening institutions and good governance is provided as part of the Annual Action Programs 2018-2020, which defines other key partnership priorities.