Press release

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PRESS RELEASE: REGIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION CONFERENCE – BUCHAREST, 8-9 APRIL

 

The Ministry of Justice of Romania, in partnership with the British Embassy in Bucharest, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Rule of Law Program South East Europe and the Regional Cooperation Council, will host a Regional Anti-Corruption Conference in Bucharest, Romania, 8-9 April.
 

The event is part of the Romanian Chairmanship-in-Office of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and brings together heads of anticorruption agencies and asset recovery offices, as well as high profile magistrates from the region . Moreover, the event benefits of the expertise of judicial experts from Austria, Germany, UK and senior representatives of major international partners as International Anticorruption Academy, European Commission, OECD, UNODC, Star Initiative. The Conference will be opened by the Romanian Ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs.
 

The Regional Conference aims to share best practice and expertise amongst SEECP countries, boosting regional cooperation in the fight against corruption, asset recovery and conflicts of interest. It will also give experts and practitioners the opportunity to exchange ideas, develop contacts and build the confidence to tackle the corruption phenomenon and its links with serious crimes. Conference agenda is developed into five thematic panels addressing the challenges and successes in: implementing sound anti-corruption policies and strategies; investigating and prosecuting high-level corruption; adjudicating high-level corruption cases; asset recovery; and tackling conflicts of interest and incompatibilities. Download the conference agenda here.
 

Journalists may attend the opening session, scheduled from 10:00 to 12:00. Journalists accredited to the Parliament may use entrance A2-S1, starting 9:00 a.m.

 

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09:00 – 10:00	Registration of participants
10:00 – 11:30	Opening session
10:00 – 10:15	Welcoming speeches
		H.E Mr. Robert Marius CAZANCIUC – Minister of Justice
		H.E Mr. Titus CORLĂŢEAN – Minister of Foreign Affairs
		H.E Ms. Sabina CERBU, Vice – Minister of Justice
10.15-10.30	Our partners
		H.E Mr. Martin HARRIS – British Ambassador to Romania
	Rule of Law Program South East Europe	Mr. Thorsten GEISSLER – Director, Rule of Law Program South East Europe, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
		Mr. Gazmend TURDIU – Deputy Secretary General, Regional Cooperation Council
10:30 – 10.45	A new holistic approach to fighting corruption
		Mr. Martin KREUTNER – Dean of the International Anticorruption Academy
10:45 – 10:50	Technical break
10:50 – 11.20	National partners
		Mr. Adrian BORDEA – President of the Superior Council of Magistrates
		Mr. Tiberiu Mihail NIŢU – General Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice
		Mr. Corneliu GURIN – General Prosecutor of the General Prosecutor’s Office
		Ms. Laura Codruţa KÖVESI – Chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate
		Ms. Alina Mihaela BICA – Chief prosecutor of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism
		Mr. Horia GEORGESCU – President, National Integrity Agency
11:20 – 12.00	Introducing the main topics – international perspective
		Mr. Patrick MOULETTE – Head of Division, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, Anti-Corruption Division, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
		Ms. Anabela GAGO – Head of Unit Organised Crime and Relations with EMCDDA, Directorate-General Home Affairs, European Commission
		Mr. Tim STEELE – Senior advisor Anticorruption, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
12:00-12:30	Coffee break

 

 

12:30 – 14.00	Thematic session 1 – Investigating and prosecuting high-level corruption cases
			Ms. Anca JURMA – Chief prosecutor, Service for International Cooperation and Programs, National Anticorruption Directorate
Rapporteur	TBD
Main topics of discussion	legal framework and competences of the Anticorruption Agencies; special investigative techniques; obstacles in effectively fighting high-level corruption & successful stories.
Target group	Heads of the Anticorruption Agencies from the SEECP participating States
Speakers
		Mr. Dinko CVITAN – Head of USKOK
		Mr. Christoph STRÖTZ – Prosecutor General, Free State of Bavaria
		Mr. Manfred NÖTZEL – Chief Prosecutor, Prosecutors Office München I
		Mr. Marius BULANCEA – Counsellor of the Chief prosecutor, National Anticorruption Directorate
		Mr. Julian ZONJA – Prosecutor at Joint Investigative Unit Against Economic Crime and Corruption
		Mr. Eduard HARUNJEN – Anticorruption Prosecutor of the Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office
		Mr. Wolfgang HEMESATH – Senior Counsellor, Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA)
Debates
14.00 – 15:00	Lunch
15:00 – 17.30	Thematic session 2 – Adjudicating high-level corruption cases
Moderator		Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Stephen Tomlinson – Lord Justice of Appeal
Rapporteur	TBD
Main topics of discussion	relevant jurisprudence/ case-law; obstacles in adjudicating high-level corruption; sharing best practices in this field.
Target group	Representatives of the Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice and practitioners from SEECP participating States
Speakers		His Honour Judge Alistair McCreath – Senior Circuit Judge
		Ms. Mirela POPESCU – Judge at the High Court of Cassation and Justice
		Mr. Nicolas KACZYNSKI – Senior Prosecutor, Prosecutors Office München II
		Ms. Evelina QIRJAKO – Judge at the Supreme Court
		Mr. Shpend DEVAJA – Judge at the Supreme Court
		Ms. Pavlina PANOVA – Deputy to the President of the Supreme Court of Cassation / Ms. Mimi FURNADZHIEVA – Judge, Supreme Court of Cassation
Debates

 

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9^th of April, 09.00 – 16.00

 

09:00 – 09.30	Arrival of participants
09:30 – 11.00	Thematic session 3 – Conflict of interests, incompatibilities and asset declaration
Moderator		Ms. Laura ŞTEFAN – Anticorruption expert, Expert Forum
Rapporteur		Ms. Nevena ARNAUDOVA – Senior legal adviser, Commission for Prevention and Ascertainment of Conflict of Interest
Main topics of discussion	administrative tools used to strengthen the integrity of the public officials; successful cases and lessons learned from dealing with conflict of interests, incompatibilities and asset declarations; regional and international data exchange between the oversight bodies.
Target group	Heads of the Integrity Agencies from the SEECP participating States
Speakers		Mr. Horia GEORGESCU – President, National Integrity Agency
		Ms. Tatjana BABIĆ – Director of the Anti-corruption Agency
		Ms. Dalija OREŠKOVIĆ –  President of the Commission for the Resolution of Conflict of Interest
		Mr. Anatolie DONCIU – President of the National Integrity Commission
		Ms. Farije ALIU – Member of the State Commission for Preventing Corruption
		Ms. Nevena ARNAUDOVA – Senior legal adviser, Commission for Prevention and Ascertainment of Conflict of Interest
Debates
11.00 – 11:15	Coffee break
11:15 – 13.00	Thematic session 4 – Tracing and recovering assets originated from crimes
Moderator		Mr. Cornel-Virgiliu CĂLINESCU – Head of the National Office for Crime Prevention and for Assets Recovery
Rapporteur		Mr. Vladimir SPIRKOSKI – President of the Managerial Board of the Agency for Managing Confiscated Property
Main topics of discussion	competences of ARO structures; access to data bases and the procedures of financial investigation; management of seized assets; challenges in execution of confiscated assets; cross border recognition of court orders regarding assets originated from crime and corruption; best practices in asset recovery.
Target group	Heads of the Asset Recovery Offices or agencies with similar competences from the SEECP participating States
Speakers		Ms. Alina Mihaela BICA – Chief prosecutor of the Directorate for  Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism
		Mr. Barry RIDER – Professor of Law, University of Cambridge
		Ms. Alison SAUNDERS CB – Director of Public Prosecutions
		Mr. Ergys DINO – Head of Sector within the Agency for Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets
		Mr. Vladimir SPIRKOSKI – President of the Managerial Board of the Agency for Managing Confiscated Property
		Ms. Jacinta ODOUR – Senior Public Sector Specialist, StAR Initiative
		Presentation on behalf of Ms. Biljana PAVLOVIC, Director of the Directorate for Management of Seized Assets within the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, delivered by Mrs. Aleksandra PAPIC, Junior Advisor
Debates
13.00 – 14.00	Lunch
14:00 – 15.30	Thematic session 5 – Ingredients for success, trends and challenges in implementing sound anti-corruption policies and strategies
Moderator	Rule of Law Program South East Europe	Mr. Peter RIMMELE – Director, KAS Rule of Law Programme Middle East /North Africa
Rapporteur		Ms. Vesna RATKOVIC – Director of the Directorate for Anti-corruption Initiative
Main topics of discussion	synergies among national, regional and international policies and strategies in the field of fighting corruption and asset recovery; good governance and open government initiatives; proposals for a better cooperation between the SEECP members.
Target group	All the participants
Speakers		Mr. Radu PUCHIU – Secretary of state, Department for On-line Services and Design, Prime-minister’s Office
		Mr. Alexandru CUMPĂNAŞU – Executive Director, Association for Implementing Democracy
		Ms. Cristina ŢĂRNĂ – Director adjunct, Centrul Național Anticorupție
		Ms. Vesna RATKOVIC – Director of the Directorate for Anti-corruption Initiative
		Mr. Predrag VUJICIC – Expert on Justice and Home Affairs, Regional Cooperation Council
		Mr. Radu COTICI – Head of Secretariat, Regional Anti-corruption Initiative
		Ms. Ioanna SERAFEIM – Advisor at the National Anticorruption Coordinator
		Mr. Cornel-Virgiliu CĂLINESCU – Head of the National Office for Crime Prevention and for Assets Recovery
Debates

 

 

 

15:30 – 16.00	Closing remarks
		Ms. Simona-Maya TEODOROIU – Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice
		H.E Mr. Martin HARRIS – British Ambassador to Romania
	Rule of Law Program South East Europe	Mr. Thorsten GEISSLER – Director, Rule of Law Program South East Europe, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
		Mr. Gazmend TURDIU – Deputy Secretary General, Regional Cooperation Council