ŸIrakli Shotadze, the Prosecutor General of Georgia and Laura Kövesi, the Chief Prosecutor of the European Union Prosecutor’s Office, signed the Mutual Cooperation Arrangement in order to deepen the cooperation two authorities on 29th of September 2022.
The parties expressed readiness in holding bilateral meetings at the strategic and operational level in order to cooperate in the process of finding legal aid, extradition and returning assets obtained from the crime, also sharing experiences and best practices.
According to the Chief Prosecutor of the European Union Prosecutor’s Office, the agreement will enable both parties to cooperate directly, share information with each other, have contact persons and work together on common cases.
“The core competence of the European Union Prosecutor’s Office is to investigate financial fraud, EU funds fraud, VAT fraud, corruption, money laundering and organized crime, if they are related to the key competence. I am confident, that our future activities will have connection with Georgia and the above cooperation agreement will make it easier for us to work together,” Laura Kövesi said.
MONTENEGRO
A working arrangement was signed on 22nd of September 2022 with the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro (SSPO). The bilateral arrangement will facilitate cooperation and exchange of information between the parties to ensure effective investigation and prosecution. Both prosecutor’s offices are committed to bringing to justice all persons who are suspect or accused of committing crimes against the EU budget.
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
European Chief Prosecutor was on an official visit to Chisinau on 12-14 July. During the visit, the European Chief prosecutor had meetings with President Maia Sandu, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita and other officials. “Obviously, I am here to send a signal: the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is ready to help Moldovan national authorities on the path towards EU membership. Of course, within the limits of our mandate and expertise.
Concretely, tomorrow we will sign a working arrangement between the EPPO and the General Prosecutor’s Office of Moldova. As a candidate country, Moldova will receive a significant amount of EU funding in the years to come. It is our shared responsibility to pursue possible fraudsters with utmost determination and efficiency, within our respective scopes of competence. We need to better detect frauds affecting the Union’s financial interests, to investigate more efficiently, to exchange strategic information as true partners”. -stated Laura Kövesi.
ALBANIA
Cooperation arrangement has been signed between the EPPO and the Prosecutor General, Olsian Çela, who is on an official visit to Luxembourg – 4th of July 2022. Parties agreed to cooperate in the freezing of assets and to predict the establishment of joint investigative teams. Based on this agreement, the possibility of commanding a liaison officer from the General Prosecutor’s Office to the headquarters of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Luxembourg is foreseen.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
On 26 July 2022, the EPPO signed an arrangement on cooperation with the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. The EPPO “intends to cooperate (…) in providing evidence needed by the U.S. Department of Justice or Department of Homeland Security for an investigation, prosecution, or related proceeding conducted under their respective authority”.
Moreover, the U.S. side acknowledges that the handling EDP can request the competent authority of its Member State to seek provisional arrest or extradition of persons sought for prosecution the EPPO is conducting, in line with the applicable extradition treaty of the EU Member State and the United States of America.
References:
- European Public Prosecutor’s Office official website;
- Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia official website;
- Albanian Daily News digital newspaper;
- Eucrim – The European Criminal Law Associations’ Forum.
- Full texts of the EPPO’s Working Arrangements
Author: Antony Zhilkin
Vice-President Steering Committee