17:02 16.06.2021

PGO, MFA to coordinate efforts to return stolen assets from abroad

2 min read

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the return of assets belonging to Ukraine and illegally appropriated by former high-ranking officials and related individuals and legal entities from abroad, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) said.

"More than $360 million have now been blocked in foreign jurisdictions, which were found in criminal investigations into only two former high-ranking officials and one former MP. Ukrainian assets have been found in the United States, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Antigua and Barbuda, etc. Everywhere these funds have a different status, but our task is the same – to return them to the state. We must make every effort – international legal cooperation in criminal proceedings related to corruption and money laundering, as well as diplomatic dialogue to intensify these processes," Venediktova said.

Kuleba, in turn, stressed that the fight against corruption remains one of the key priorities of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the entire team.

"The head of state has set a clear task: to return to Ukraine the assets stolen during the years of independence. At the same time, the corrupt officials not only robbed the state treasury, but also actively hid the appropriated assets abroad. Therefore, the involvement of the Foreign Ministry here is essential. We have agreed with the Prosecutor General's Office to make additional efforts to search for and detect illegally appropriated assets abroad and negotiate with foreign states on ways to return them," Kuleba said.

The parties agreed to coordinate the efforts of departments in the field of the identification and return of stolen funds hidden abroad. The Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are also initiating the conclusion of intergovernmental agreements on the terms of the return of confiscated assets.

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