KAZAN, September 30. /TASS/. Russia is deploying a mechanism to recover illicitly obtained assets that were moved abroad, Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan said at the 36th meeting of the Coordinating Council of Prosecutors General of the CIS member states.

The session focused entirely on "Modern challenges and new solutions in asset recovery from abroad."

Gutsan thanked his CIS counterparts for prioritizing Russian requests for mutual legal assistance.

"This year, cooperation enabled the freezing of assets held by individuals accused of grand embezzlement and tax crimes in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, as well as in Mongolia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Spain," he reported.

Furthermore, constructive cooperation within the CIS "helped set precedents for freezing accounts on cryptocurrency exchanges, specifically Binance in Kazakhstan, and facilitating the interstate division of property pursuant to a foreign court ruling in Uzbekistan."

"A unified asset recovery mechanism is currently in operation. It ensures seamless coordination among justice, foreign affairs, financial intelligence, and preliminary investigation agencies, as well as other bodies, to trace property abroad and execute asset seizures," the Prosecutor General said.

He noted that asset recovery and the expansion of international cooperation have been integrated into Russia’s national anti-money laundering (AML) framework and designated as a strategic priority by President Vladimir Putin. Consequently, the regulatory framework and law enforcement practices are being upgraded to dismantle the channels used to siphon criminal proceeds out of the country.

The Prosecutor General's Office plays a leading role in spearheading these recovery efforts. Since 2020, it has hosted an interagency task force combining the resources of 17 authorities and organizations. Its mandate involves resolving bottlenecks in specific cases, developing methodological guidelines, and drafting proposals to refine legal frameworks and international cooperation.

"At the same time, it must be acknowledged that executing existing procedures faces various complexities in most jurisdictions," the head of the supervisory agency concluded.