Representatives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine visit Lithuania
The Financial Crimes Investigation Service (FCIS) is receiving a visit from the Ukrainian Economic Security Bureau (UESB) to adopt the best practices of the European Union (EU) institutions. The FCIS officials will share their experience and knowledge with their Ukrainian counterparts in the fields of financial crime investigation, prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, and implementation of international sanctions.
This visit was initiated following the signing of an agreement on international cooperation in the field of economic crime between the FCIS, the State Tax Inspectorate (STI) and the UESB in May.
According to the Director of the FCIS Antoni Mikulskis, the assistance and experience of the Lithuanian institutions is more than ever needed by Ukraine and the UESB, which was established only last year.
"Ukraine still has a lot to do in order to achieve EU membership and an effective fight against economic crime, and we can help them by transferring our knowledge and best practices, by telling them about effective methods of investigating financial crimes, by introducing them to the software and intelligence equipment used. This experience will be very useful to our Ukrainian colleagues in their efforts to combat threats to the economic security of their country," said A. Mikulski.
The FCIS officials will tell the Ukrainian representatives about the work they have done in the field of prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, investigation of serious international criminal schemes, organisation of the analytical work and the tools they use, opportunities for international cooperation, criminal intelligence activities and methods, etc.
The aim of the Ukrainian delegation of investigators and analysts in Lithuania is to study the activities and forms of the institutions, their regulation, legal framework, the experience of European integration, the experience of investigating transnational crime and the exchange of professional experience.
The UESB is responsible for assessing risks and threats to the economic security of the State, ensuring the economic security of the State by preventing, detecting and investigating criminal acts that undermine the functioning of the State economy. It also collects and analyses information on crimes affecting the economic security of the State, detects and investigates crimes related to the receipt and use of international technical assistance, etc.