1. THIRD ASSET RECOVERY CONFERENCE Kiev, 15 December 2016
Burkhard Mühl
Senior Specialist,
Europol Criminal Assets Bureau

2. EUROPOL’S HQ – THE HAGUE, NL
1 July 2011 – official opening HM Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands
650 moved with space for 850 – now already more than 900!
European Drugs Unit since 1994
Europol 1999 – Convention, Intergovernmental
Europol Council Decision 2010 – EU agency
Europol Regulation 2016, enters into force in 2017

3. EUROPOL’S MISSION STATEMENT
Vision
As the EU law enforcement agency, Europol supports its Member States in preventing and combating all forms of international serious crime and terrorism.
To contribute to a safer Europe by providing the best possible support to law enforcement authorities in the Member States.
I – provide platform for information sharing (next slide)
II – provide operational coordination and support
200 Liaison Officers from 37 countries
ENUs / National Contact Points

4. INFORMATION EXCHANGE KEY CAPABILITIES- INFORMATION SHARING
Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA): Communication tool
Europol National Units (ENU) in Member States & non-EU states
MS/TP Liaison Bureaux at Europol
Only means to exchange personal data
EIS (Europol Information System) :
Automatic “Hits” and “linking”
Direct access and data entry by member states
Analytical Work Files / Focal Points
Data protection and data security
Tailor-made solutions developed in-house.
2015: nearly 40,000 cases initiated; 730,000 messages exchanged; 5,000 registered users in about 500 different LEAs.
Searches in EIS almost doubled in 2015.
150 analysts – Operational Centre and Focal Points

5. Europol Criminal Assets Bureau - ECAB
Services of the Europol Criminal Assets Bureau (ECAB)
The role and functioning of ECAB
The Europol Criminal Asset Bureau (ECAB) is part of Europol’s Financial Intelligence branch - O44. ECAB assists Member States’ financial investigators to trace the proceeds from crime, when assets have been concealed outside of the investigators’ jurisdictional boundaries. If the proceeds are located within the European Union, ECAB will liaise with the Asset Recovery Offices of the Member States by using the secure SIENA communication channel; in case the proceeds are located outside the EU, the contact points of the CARIN and other regional inter-agency networks will be engaged. Furthermore ECAB will provide support to all mandated crime areas/Focal Points at Europol in order to trace and identify criminal proceeds if requested.
Investigators can request ECAB to support their international asset tracing enquiries if:
the offence falls within the mandated crime areas of Europol and
two or more EU Member States are affected by the crime.
In April 2014, Focal Point Asset Recovery has been established within ECAB to provide the Member States and Third Countries with a targeted and tailor- made Europol support to trace criminal asset in Europe and beyond. The Focal Point will deliver operational analysis in on-going cases, it will cross check data in order to establish links with other cases at Europol and, if requested by a Member State, the Focal Point will organise and fund where applicable operational meetings.
The Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (CARIN)
The Europol Criminal Assets Bureau also acts as the permanent Secretariat for CARIN, which started in 2004 as a European initiative. Due to the success of this initiative, other CARIN style bodies have now developed globally. CARIN is an informal network of judicial and law enforcement experts in the field of asset recovery. CARIN has, to date, 69 registered members (55 states and jurisdictions, including all 28 EU Member States and 9 international organisations and 5 regional CARIN styled network Secretariats. Eurojust is a permanent observer in the Steering Group. One law enforcement and one judicial contact have been nominated from each state and jurisdiction to assist in cross border co-operation in relation to tracing, freezing, seizing and confiscating assets. These English speaking contacts are able to assist with general questions about asset recovery in their own jurisdictions, as well as providing operational support via available legal channels. For further information about CARIN and the support it can provide, contact the CARIN Secretariat at Europol; or
CARIN members:
Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, FYROM, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jersey, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America
Egmont Group, Eurojust, Europol, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Interpol, OLAF, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Bank
Regional Asset Recovery Networks: Asset Recovery Inter Agency Network South Africa - ARINSA, Red de Recuperación de Activos de GAFISUD - RRAG, Asset Recovery Inter Agency Network Asia Pacific - ARIN-AP, Asset Recovery Inter Agency Network Eastern Africa - ARINEA, Asset Recovery Inter Agency Network Western Africa - ARINWA

6. Europol Criminal Assets Bureau
Established in 2007
To increase the efficiency of asset recovery in the EU with a view to fight international serious and organised crime
To provide support to all mandated crime areas in order to identify and seize/freeze criminal assets
To assist Member States’ investigators in tracing criminal assets located outside their jurisdictions

7. Products and services
FP Asset Recovery supports competent authorities (AROs et.al.)in tracing and identification of criminal proceeds linked to all mandated crime areas of Europol.
CARIN Network Secretariat Europol provides a specialist for the CARIN Secretariat.
Knowledge of variations in systems and approaches in jurisdictions to freeze & seize assets.
Support in freezing of bank accounts & virtual currencies.
Ability to trace assets on a global level.
Access to appropriate channels SIENA.
… when assets have been concealed outside the investigators' jurisdictional boundaries 7 7

8. Europol’s Operational Analysis
Core objective – supporting MS investigations with intelligence analysis
Who are the key persons and associates?
What are their criminal activities?
Why are they doing it in this way?
Where are the activities located?
How are those activities carried out?

9. Data suitable for analysis (financial investigations):
FP Asset Recovery
Data suitable for analysis (financial investigations):
Persons
Communications
Bank accounts
Id documents
Locations
Organisations
As for any investigation…
…but with focus on money flows and economic/financial aspects

10. CROSS - CHECKING

11. Asset tracing via AROs using SIENA

12. ARO to ARO Siena asset tracing requests

13. CARIN (Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network):
64 members -
55 Countries / Jurisdictions:
Albania, Austria, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, FYROM, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America (53)
9 International Organisations: Europol, Egmont Group, Eurojust, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Interpol, OLAF, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Bank
ARINSA (Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of Southern Africa):
Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Malawi (10)
RRAG (Red de la Recuperación de Activos de GAFISUD):
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay. (15)

14. Thank you very much for your kind attention!
Burkhard Mühl,
Project Manager Europol Criminal Assets Bureau