News
- 08 Aug 2012, 15:08
- The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation
Our Earth is noticeably becoming too small. A man boarding a plane at a Russian airport in the morning can reach any point of the planet by the evening. And what if it is an outlaw?
The Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Zvyagintsev narrates how murderers and fraudsters are «extracted» from exotic countries and how the money is returned from the farthest offshore companies.
A glance across the oceans
Kick the money back!
«A&F»: Alexander Grigoryevich, how the relations of the Russian Prosecutor's office are developing with foreign colleagues?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: We cooperate with colleagues from more than 70 countries around of the world. In the past year we have investigated almost 10 thousand of requests for extradition and investigative orders both coming from abroad as well as those which were designated for forwarding to foreign partners. Thus it was possible achieving of extradition of a number of persons accused of committing serious crimes that caused a wide public resonance.
For example, Spain extradited the director of the nightclub «Lame horse» in which as a result of a fire there were killed 156 people. The Ukraine extradited two members of a criminal group accused of killing 12 people including young children in the village of Kushchevskaya of the Krasnodar territory. The competent authorities of Belarus and Azerbaijan satisfied the requests for extradition of a number of persons accused of committing terrorist acts and organization of illegal armed formations. Cyprus gave us a US citizen who stole from the budget of Moscow region monetary funds cash in the amount of more than 1 billion rubles.
We pay great attention to the issues of search and return of stolen property from abroad. In the years of 2011-2012 according to requests of the General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation in abroad with the aim of confiscation there was an arrest of properties acquired in a criminal way for an amount of approximately 16.4 billion rubles. Assets worth more than 1.5 billion rubles were returned to the Russian owners from other countries.
«A&F»: Is the existing legislative base enough to ensure the effective participation of Russia in the international cooperation in criminal matters?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: I regret to note that the legal base of Russia in such issues does not comply with neither the current nor with the perspective requirements. At present Russia does not have special treaties on extradition and legal assistance in criminal cases with more than 120 countries out of 193 members of the United Nations. Such condition of affairs is advantageously used by criminals. For example, more and more often they try to hide from justice in the countries with which Russia has no agreements on extradition. Many countries (for example, the United States and Canada) do not extradite anyone without agreement. Of course we are trying to find a legal way out of the situation. Particularly, in the past year with some of such countries (for example, Morocco, Thailand) there were successfully decided the issues of extradition of persons to Russia for performing of criminal justice.
«A&F»: Next year in Russia it will be held the annual meeting and conference of the International Association of prosecutors (IAP). What do you expect from this event?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: Yes, the General Prosecutor's office of Russia for the first time was granted the right for holding of the 18-th Annual conference and General Assembly of IAP in Moscow in September 2013. Prosecutor's forum of such importance will be held for the first time. We expect that participation in the work of the conference will be accepted by delegations from more than 150 countries. Moreover, leaders of a number of authoritative international organizations will be invited, particularly such as the UN, the Council of Europe, Interpol.
As to the practical benefit from conduction of such an event, primarily that is an exchange of experience in solving specific issues of the public prosecutor's activities, establishing and strengthening of direct business contacts which contribute to the solution of the problems of bilateral cooperation. I am sure that the experience of the Russian Prosecutor's office will be interesting for our foreign colleagues.
Hot spots
«A&F»: How the relations are developing with the countries that experienced the «Arab spring» or with those where internal conflicts are still occurring?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: When cannons boom the law is unfortunately silent. Nevertheless, even in such difficult situation we do not sit idle but, constantly keep in touch with our colleagues from Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and other countries. The fact is that very often, people who have committed serious crimes try to hide themselves in the countries with unstable political or revolutionary situation, because they have nothing to lose! And we got information that dangerous criminals began to seek refuge exactly in such countries. Naturally, we monitored their movements, determined their places of stay and then entered into direct contact with colleagues from law enforcement authorities of those countries. And as to the requirements of the General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation they were detained and some have already been extradited to Russia. The other day Alexander Sterkhov was extradited from Egypt under escort, earlier he was in the international wanted list. He is accused of organization of the assassination of Alexander Barybin, a deputy of Irbit Town Duma (Sverdlovsk region).
In February of this year Syria made a decision about extradition of Al-Saffar Adel Makhirovich. He is accused of illegal sale of narcotic substances.
«A&F»: Touching upon the «far countries», in a number of offshore zones where as it is known the Russian capital is illegally settling down: Do they come forward to cooperation in the investigation of criminal cases?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: I Want to remind that for a relatively short period of time and in spite of predictions of some pessimists, General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation got signed seven interdepartmental agreements with Cyprus, Lebanon, the Seychelles, Montenegro, Sri Lanka, and Luxembourg.
These documents will enable to effectively struggle against transnational organized criminality, investigate criminal cases related to illegal withdrawal of hundreds of billions of dollars out of Russia since the 1990th.
Continuing the topic of the offshores, I want to note that according to our data billions of dollars withdrawn out of Russia as a result of illegal financial operations are still settling down there. Now we are at the thresholds of signing of similar interdepartmental agreements with the Maldives, Panama, New Zealand. There are six more such projects that are at various stages of negotiation with the competent authorities of Belize, Gibraltar, the British virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the United Arab Emirates, Swiss Confederation (revised). This work is going on.
Prepared By Maksim Filatov.
The Prosecutor General's Office
of the Russian Federation
The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation
08 Aug 2012, 15:08
We offer to your attention the interview of the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Zvyagintsev for the newspaper "Arguments and facts"
Our Earth is noticeably becoming too small. A man boarding a plane at a Russian airport in the morning can reach any point of the planet by the evening. And what if it is an outlaw?
The Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Zvyagintsev narrates how murderers and fraudsters are «extracted» from exotic countries and how the money is returned from the farthest offshore companies.
A glance across the oceans
Kick the money back!
«A&F»: Alexander Grigoryevich, how the relations of the Russian Prosecutor's office are developing with foreign colleagues?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: We cooperate with colleagues from more than 70 countries around of the world. In the past year we have investigated almost 10 thousand of requests for extradition and investigative orders both coming from abroad as well as those which were designated for forwarding to foreign partners. Thus it was possible achieving of extradition of a number of persons accused of committing serious crimes that caused a wide public resonance.
For example, Spain extradited the director of the nightclub «Lame horse» in which as a result of a fire there were killed 156 people. The Ukraine extradited two members of a criminal group accused of killing 12 people including young children in the village of Kushchevskaya of the Krasnodar territory. The competent authorities of Belarus and Azerbaijan satisfied the requests for extradition of a number of persons accused of committing terrorist acts and organization of illegal armed formations. Cyprus gave us a US citizen who stole from the budget of Moscow region monetary funds cash in the amount of more than 1 billion rubles.
We pay great attention to the issues of search and return of stolen property from abroad. In the years of 2011-2012 according to requests of the General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation in abroad with the aim of confiscation there was an arrest of properties acquired in a criminal way for an amount of approximately 16.4 billion rubles. Assets worth more than 1.5 billion rubles were returned to the Russian owners from other countries.
«A&F»: Is the existing legislative base enough to ensure the effective participation of Russia in the international cooperation in criminal matters?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: I regret to note that the legal base of Russia in such issues does not comply with neither the current nor with the perspective requirements. At present Russia does not have special treaties on extradition and legal assistance in criminal cases with more than 120 countries out of 193 members of the United Nations. Such condition of affairs is advantageously used by criminals. For example, more and more often they try to hide from justice in the countries with which Russia has no agreements on extradition. Many countries (for example, the United States and Canada) do not extradite anyone without agreement. Of course we are trying to find a legal way out of the situation. Particularly, in the past year with some of such countries (for example, Morocco, Thailand) there were successfully decided the issues of extradition of persons to Russia for performing of criminal justice.
«A&F»: Next year in Russia it will be held the annual meeting and conference of the International Association of prosecutors (IAP). What do you expect from this event?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: Yes, the General Prosecutor's office of Russia for the first time was granted the right for holding of the 18-th Annual conference and General Assembly of IAP in Moscow in September 2013. Prosecutor's forum of such importance will be held for the first time. We expect that participation in the work of the conference will be accepted by delegations from more than 150 countries. Moreover, leaders of a number of authoritative international organizations will be invited, particularly such as the UN, the Council of Europe, Interpol.
As to the practical benefit from conduction of such an event, primarily that is an exchange of experience in solving specific issues of the public prosecutor's activities, establishing and strengthening of direct business contacts which contribute to the solution of the problems of bilateral cooperation. I am sure that the experience of the Russian Prosecutor's office will be interesting for our foreign colleagues.
Hot spots
«A&F»: How the relations are developing with the countries that experienced the «Arab spring» or with those where internal conflicts are still occurring?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: When cannons boom the law is unfortunately silent. Nevertheless, even in such difficult situation we do not sit idle but, constantly keep in touch with our colleagues from Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and other countries. The fact is that very often, people who have committed serious crimes try to hide themselves in the countries with unstable political or revolutionary situation, because they have nothing to lose! And we got information that dangerous criminals began to seek refuge exactly in such countries. Naturally, we monitored their movements, determined their places of stay and then entered into direct contact with colleagues from law enforcement authorities of those countries. And as to the requirements of the General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation they were detained and some have already been extradited to Russia. The other day Alexander Sterkhov was extradited from Egypt under escort, earlier he was in the international wanted list. He is accused of organization of the assassination of Alexander Barybin, a deputy of Irbit Town Duma (Sverdlovsk region).
In February of this year Syria made a decision about extradition of Al-Saffar Adel Makhirovich. He is accused of illegal sale of narcotic substances.
«A&F»: Touching upon the «far countries», in a number of offshore zones where as it is known the Russian capital is illegally settling down: Do they come forward to cooperation in the investigation of criminal cases?
Alexander Zvyagintsev: I Want to remind that for a relatively short period of time and in spite of predictions of some pessimists, General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation got signed seven interdepartmental agreements with Cyprus, Lebanon, the Seychelles, Montenegro, Sri Lanka, and Luxembourg.
These documents will enable to effectively struggle against transnational organized criminality, investigate criminal cases related to illegal withdrawal of hundreds of billions of dollars out of Russia since the 1990th.
Continuing the topic of the offshores, I want to note that according to our data billions of dollars withdrawn out of Russia as a result of illegal financial operations are still settling down there. Now we are at the thresholds of signing of similar interdepartmental agreements with the Maldives, Panama, New Zealand. There are six more such projects that are at various stages of negotiation with the competent authorities of Belize, Gibraltar, the British virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the United Arab Emirates, Swiss Confederation (revised). This work is going on.
Prepared By Maksim Filatov.
