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Denial of Safe Haven to Corrupt Officials OAS Anti Corruption Meeting March 28 th 2005. Stephen Baker BakerPlatt. Key is Political Will Political Will of: The victim country; Transit countries; The country harbouring assets; and Those countries whose companies have paid bribes.
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Denial of Safe Haven to Corrupt OfficialsOAS Anti Corruption MeetingMarch 28th 2005 Stephen Baker BakerPlatt
Key is Political Will Political Will of: • The victim country; • Transit countries; • The country harbouring assets; and • Those countries whose companies have paid bribes.
A Strategy There must be a strategy • Where has the money gone? • How has the money gone? • How are we going to get the money back?
Where Has It Gone? How Has It Gone? Understanding Methods of Corruption • False invoicing; • Inflation of contract prices; • False consultancy services; • Manipulation of privatisation schemes; • Direct theft.
Denial of Safe Haven How to Get it Back • Criminal Recovery? • Civil Recovery? • Both ? • Understand the difference between common law and civil law systems • Keep the material gathered secure and secret
Use of Criminal Investigations • Criminal law system of the victim country; • Criminal law systems of those countries harbouring assets; • Prompting investigations by those sheltering assets; • Ukraine and California; • Evidence gathering.
International Co-operation • Which country should be approached first? • The distinction between the United Kingdom and Switzerland • Le dossier • Is a Treaty needed? • Turning information into evidence • Understanding the distinctions between countries’ systems.
Use of Civil Asset Recovery Methods • Where to sue? • Who to sue? • Which countries are most favourable to these actions? • Benefits of civil law systems • Benefits of common law systems • Will the overseas government help in civil recovery? • Asset recovery agency, London • Will it work?
A Cause For Optimism • Just under half a billion dollars returned to Nigeria from Switzerland • Over one hundred and sixty million dollars returned to Nigeria from Jersey, Channel Islands • Why? • Political will Switzerland and Jersey. • Will others pay money back? • Why have others not paid money back?
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