The Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) and the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) held a strategic meeting on the sidelines of the 20th CARIN General Assembly.
During the dialog with NCA Deputy Director and Head of the UK Financial Intelligence Unit Vince O'Brien, joint efforts in identifying, tracing and recovering illegally obtained assets were discussed.
ARMA Head Olena Duma initiated the discussion of key areas of cooperation, emphasizing the importance of expanding bilateral cooperation to increase the effectiveness of joint work.
"Specialists of the National Agency have identified assets worth more than USD 100 billion abroad, a significant part of which is located in the UK. The discovery of these assets in the UK was the result of joint efforts of ARMA and NCA through the CARIN and Europol networks," said Olena Duma.
Particular attention was paid to the establishment of the Office of Advisers, which is proposed to involve current or former NCA specialists to provide strategic advice in the implementation of the Asset Recovery Strategy.
The meeting participants also focused on the prospects for joint training projects, engaging NCA experts to work with Ukrainian specialists, and exchanging experience in the field of financial crime.
During the discussions, the UK side was also represented by Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service and
Becca Bartlett, Staff Officer to Deputy Director Vince O'Brien. The NCA representatives expressed support for ARMA's initiatives and noted that the proposed approaches would contribute to the operational efficiency of both agencies.
The meeting resulted in an agreement to develop an international cooperation agreement between ARMA and the NCA. This agreement will facilitate more effective interaction between the agencies and allow them to join forces in the recovery of criminal assets.
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The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) is the leading agency in the fight against organized crime, human trafficking, arms and drugs, cybercrime and financial crime.
This partnership emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in the fight against crime and the protection of financial security, which is especially relevant for Ukraine in the current context.