Category: Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

Phase 3 of the SIRIUS project will continue to assist LEAs, JAs, and service providers in navigating the increasingly complex legal framework. The project will continue to foster close cooperation between the public and private sectors, ensuring that criminal investigations are more effective and efficient in the digital age. The adoption of new EU-wide legislation, alongside key international agreements such as the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention, and the agreed draft text for a UN Convention on Cybercrime, are reshaping the legal and operational landscape surrounding electronic evidence.  In this challenging environment, SIRIUS has established itself as a centre of excellence in the field of cross-border access to electronic evidence in the EU. It offers a variety of services, such as guidelines, trainings and tools, to help with accessing data held by service providers.

To this day, SIRIUS serves a community of competent authorities from over 50 countries, representing all EU Member States and a growing number of third countries. It supports over 8 500 competent authorities and fosters collaboration with 220 service providers. With the upcoming implementation of new legal frameworks at EU and international level, Europol and Eurojust foresee to reinforce the success of the SIRIUS project with the expanded mission and diversified portfolio of activities, which will ensure seamless support to national LEAs and JAs during this critical transition.

The project’s activities will include the development of investigative tools, the organisation of high-impact events, and expanded capacity building to address urgent needs from LEAs and JAs. Additionally, the project will prepare LEAs and JAs to effectively use new instruments under the forthcoming EU Electronic Evidence legislative package, as well as other legislative changes concerning the cross-border acquisition of electronic evidence.

With its third phase, the SIRIUS project will also expand its geographical focus, strengthening cooperation with non-EU countries of particular importance for the implementation of the new legislation. This broadened approach will significantly contribute to the fight against all types of crime, with particular emphasis on organized crime and terrorism

By leveraging the expertise and established frameworks of Europol and Eurojust, SIRIUS project will smoothly transition into its next phase, ensuring that European LEAs and JAs stay at the forefront of innovation in criminal investigations involving electronic evidence.

Source: Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

Commenting on his appointment as the new National Member, Mr Wąsik stated: This is a great honour and an incredible opportunity to help strengthen international judicial cooperation in the fight against serious crime. I am pleased that my work and commitment to date have been recognised in this way, all the more so because I am taking up this post at a very demanding time, including the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Polish team at Eurojust has already been doing an excellent job in this direction and, given the scale of the challenge, I am pleased to announce that the Polish authorities have decided to significantly strengthen the composition of the team from 2025.

Since August 2023, Mr Wąsik has been Chair of the Economic Crime Team at Eurojust, coordinating and overseeing the support to specialised judicial experts and the coordination of cases concerning crimes such as swindling, fraud and money laundering. From July 2020 to 2023, he was Vice-Chair of the Economic Crime Team.

Mr Wąsik has extensive experience in combatting economic crimes. From 2010 until joining Eurojust in 2016, he worked as a public prosecutor at the Department of Economic Crime in the Circuit Prosecutor’s Office of Poznan. He started working for the Polish judiciary in June 2003 as a public prosecutor in the District Office of Poznan Grunwald.

The new National Member for Poland obtained a Master in Law at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan in 2000. He undertook several postgraduate studies in Economic and Business Law, Economic Criminal Law, and Financial Investigations and Analysis of Financial Crimes in Warsaw, Krakow and Strasbourg. He also followed a specialised study in asset recovery at the Basel Institute on Governance in 2018. In addition to his native Polish, Mr Wąsik speaks English and French.

Source: Eurojust

As the new U.S. Liaison Prosecutor, Ms Pospieszalska said: I’m incredibly honoured to represent the U.S. Department of Justice at Eurojust. My appointment – together with the present Deputy Liaison Prosecutor Timothy Rank and U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression Jessica Kim – reflects the United States’ strong commitment to working hand in hand with our European partners to investigate and prosecute serious transnational crimes and uphold the rule of law.

Ms Pospieszalska comes to Eurojust having worked as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), the United States’ Central Authority, since December 2014. In this capacity, she has advised and assisted U.S. and foreign authorities on extraditions and requests for mutual legal assistance, with a particular focus on Europe. She also has extensive expertise on obtaining electronic evidence and international asset forfeiture matters.

Between June 2012 and October 2014, Ms Pospieszalska was a Law Clerk to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ms Pospieszalska also previously served as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

The new U. S. Liaison Prosecutor is already known to The Hague, where Eurojust has its premises. While still a law student focusing on international law, she spent a semester in The Hague working for the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands and simultaneously took a course at Leiden University.

In 2011, Ms Pospieszalska obtained a Juris Doctorate from the American University of Washington College of Law. She also holds a master’s degree in international affairs from the same university.

The United States is one of the twelve^* countries outside the European Union who have Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust. Liaison Prosecutors represent their national prosecuting authorities and can open requests or cases for cross-border judicial (prosecutor) cooperation with national authorities of EU Member States and other third countries at the Agency. Vice versa, the national desks of EU Member States’ judiciaries at Eurojust can request cross-border judicial cooperation with the U.S. authorities through the Liaison Prosecutor.

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*Other countries outside the European Union with Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust are: Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

Source: Eurojust

Some highlights of our 2024 casework:

EUR 2 billion money laundering network dismantled

A financial institution in Lithuania was discovered laundering around EUR 2 billion through a worldwide web of shell companies. Italian, Latvian and Lithuanian authorities, supported by Eurojust and Europol, took down the network during an action day on 27 February. Eighteen people were arrested and over EUR 11.5 million in assets and bank accounts were frozen.

Takedown of online infrastructure used for terrorist propaganda

After a complex investigation that monitored the online activities of terrorist groups, authorities in Spain traced servers across the globe that were supporting multiple media outlets disseminating worldwide propaganda meant to incite terrorism. A global coalition between Spanish, German, Dutch, American and Icelandic authorities was set up to take the servers offline. With the support of Eurojust and Europol, servers were taken down and nine radicalised individuals were arrested.

Large anti-mafia operation leads to arrest and freezing of EUR 50 million

Authorities uncovered an intricate money laundering scheme run by a mafia family in Brazil. Profits of their crimes were reinvested into multiple companies in Brazil, including a well-known hotel. Through a joint investigation team at Eurojust, Italian and Brazilian authorities investigated the activities of the mafia family and planned a large global operation to arrest the suspects. The operation led to the arrest of one of the mafia members and the freezing of financial assets worth EUR 50 million.

Belarusians Charged for Forced Plane Landing

Eurojust supported a joint investigation team between Polish and Lithuanian authorities that investigated the forced landing in Belarus of a commercial flight. The unprecedented case shed a light on the real reason behind the flight’s diversion: suspects instructed air traffic controllers to land the aircraft in order to arrest a Belarusian dissident. In September, the investigation led to the arrest warrants for three Belarusian officials.

Authorities stop malware targeting millions of people

Two infostealers, malware that is able to steal personal data from infected devices, was taken down by a global operation. Authorities from the Netherlands, the United States, Belgium, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Australia and Eurojust and Europol shut down three servers in the Netherlands and seized two domains. The operation stopped the malware from stealing data such as usernames and passwords that were used to steal money or carry out other hacking activities.

Fake art network discovered that could have cause losses of EUR 200 million

Banksy, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh are among the artists whose work was forged by a criminal group that set up a sophisticated fake art operation. The group produced the art, organised exhibitions of the forged works and worked together with compromised auction houses to sell the pieces. Eurojust supported Italian authorities to dismantle the criminal group and set up the cooperation between Belgian, French and Spanish authorities. During an action day in November, 38 people were arrested and over 2 000 fake art works were seized.

Source: Eurojust

Here are a few highlights:

Deepening Cooperation with Latin America

Organised crime groups are increasingly operating on a global scale, which means efforts for cooperation with partner countries outside of the EU is a priority. With 68% of the most threatening criminal networks operate globally, and 36% of these networks engaged in drug trafficking, forging closer partnerships with countries who are frequent origin or transit points is critical.

Over the course of the year, new Working Arrangements were signed between Eurojust and the Prosecution Services of Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. These arrangements strengthen cooperation in crime areas that affect both the EU and Latin American countries, such as drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.

Launch of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network

In September, we took another important step in the fight against organised crime with the launch of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN). The Network, which is hosted at Eurojust, aims to go beyond investigation-based collaboration to combat organised crime strategically. Specialised prosecutors from all EU Member States are brought together to focus on the horizontal issues that arise in the investigation and prosecution of high-risk criminal groups. This will allow them to tackle recurring legal challenges and identify new, practical opportunities for closer cooperation.

The members benefit from Eurojust’s unique operational expertise in setting up joint investigation teams and using other judicial cooperation tools in cross-border criminal investigations. The first priority focus of the EJOCN is combatting drug-related organised crime connected to European ports and other logistic hubs.

Supporting Accountability Efforts in Ukraine

Documenting and prosecuting core international crimes is a long-term commitment and Eurojust remains resolute in our accountability efforts. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we have been at the forefront of supporting accountability for Russian crimes. In July, we marked one year since the launch of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The ICPA’s independent prosecutors and investigators from different countries have been working together regularly at Eurojust, benefitting from the Agency’s dedicated team of legal experts and tailor-made technical, logistical and financial support. This has enabled them to exchange information and evidence quickly and efficiently, and coordinate a common investigative and prosecutorial strategy.

This year also saw the joint investigation team on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine amend the JIT Agreement to enhance investigations on crimes of torture, ill-treatment and filtration.

Hosting Partners in The Hague

Our close partnership with national judicial authorities sits at the foundation of our Agency. Every year, we have thousands of prosecutors coming to Eurojust to discuss cases or participate in coordination centres or coordination meetings. In 2024, we were able to welcome many high level visitors, including the President of Slovenia, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, Ministers of Justice and Interior from many EU Member States, and many others.

These visits are opportunities to discuss ways to strengthen judicial cooperation, update national authorities on Eurojust’s work, and identify opportunities for closer collaboration.

Welcoming our New Presidency

2024 was also marked by a change in Eurojust’s leadership, with Mr Ladislav Hamran bidding the Agency farewell after serving 11 years in the Presidency – 7 as President and 4 as Vice-President. Austrian National Member Mr Michael Schmid was elected as his successor, with his 4-year tenure beginning in November. We also welcomed a new Vice-President, Spanish National Member Jose de la Mata, in December.

With no equivalent worldwide, Eurojust continued to deliver remarkable results in 2024, enabling prosecutors and law enforcement authorities from the EU and beyond to bring perpetrators to justice.

Source: Eurojust

The criminal group consisting mostly of Bulgarian nationals, set up a large-scale operation to steal power cables in three states in Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse and Saarland. After stealing the power cables, the group sold them for substantial profits. Afterwards, the proceeds were then transferred to Bulgaria. 

Through investigations, the authorities were able to link 45 individual cases of power cable theft to the criminal group. The total value of the stolen cables is around 1 million euros.

After German authorities discovered that the criminal group behind the theft was partly residing in Bulgaria and was moving their profits to Bulgaria, cooperation between the authorities was set up at Eurojust. The authorities worked together to plan the joint operation to arrest the suspects and stop the thefts. Europol supported the action day by deploying an expert with a mobile office to Bulgaria. Leading up to this, Europol organised an operational meeting, provided operational analysis and supported the cross-border surveillance with a virtual command post.

In the early hours of 17 December, authorities in Bulgaria and Germany took action with nearly 200 officers, investigators and prosecutors deployed. The operation was coordinated from Eurojust’s headquarters in The Hague. Twenty-four house searches, nine personal searches and six car searches took place in Bulgaria. During the searches, authorities were able to seize items such as telephones and document that will now be used to continue investigations into the group. Eight suspects were arrested, five in Bulgaria and three in Germany.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

• Germany: Public Prosecution Office Heilbronn; Heilbronn Police
• Bulgaria: Public Prosecution Offices Varna and Shumen; Property Crime Department of the General Police Directorate, National Police; Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs-Varna

Source: Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

Effective cooperation begins with a solid understanding of the various judicial systems. In this regard, on 11 December, delegations from South Partner Countries presented key elements of their national justice systems, including an overview of their organisational structures and descriptions of the national frameworks for judicial cooperation. This covered the role of central authorities and the involvement of prosecution services in facilitating judicial cooperation. The purpose of this roundtable was to raise awareness on the specificities of the South Partner Countries’ criminal justice systems in comparison with EU systems. In addition, the information shared during the roundtable will enable the creation of the EuroMed Justice fiches, on the model of the European Judicial Network Fiches Belges. 

The same day, the EuroMed Justice team also reported on how the Project is transitioning to a more operational approach, and clarified the mandates, objectives, composition and functioning of the EMJ cooperation mechanisms.

On 12 December, South Partner Countries presented the legislative development at National Level (international or bilateral agreements, Conventions, Data Protection Rules) and provided their own recommendations on strategic cooperation on asset recovery.

In the margins of the main discussions, several bilateral meetings with successful outcomes between the delegations and with Eurojust National Members were also organised.

Source: Eurojust

The criminal gang was responsible for the import, export, supply, transport and sale of weapons and explosive materials from Kosovo to Albania. It is suspected that the gang intended to set up a trafficking route towards the European Union. In addition to arms trafficking, the gang also trafficked drugs, mainly cocaine, from Albania to Kosovo.

In April this year, the Special Prosecutor’s Office in Kosovo found out about the criminal group and launched its investigation. As the criminal group consisted of citizens from both Kosovo and Albania, judicial cooperation began. A joint investigation team (JIT) was set up at Eurojust, with the support of the Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project. This project strengthens cooperation within the Western Balkans and between the region and the EU, using modern tools and methods to combat organised crime and terrorism.

The JIT enabled the Albanian and Kosovar authorities to work together efficiently and effective, exchanging information in real time. A joint operation was planned to arrest the members of the criminal group, search properties to seize arms and gather evidence. 

On 10 and 11 December, authorities launched their joint operation. During their actions, eight suspects were arrested in Kosovo. Nine properties owned by the suspects were searched, where authorities seized 29 pistols, 3 long guns, over 2600 rounds of ammunition, 2 vehicles and electronic equipment. In Albania, six suspects were arrested and seven properties were searched. Authorities seized 23 firearms, a hand grenade, 470 rounds of ammunition, 3 vehicles, 10 mobile phones and a significant amount of money. Investigations are ongoing.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

Albania: Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction of Tirana; State Police

Kosovo: Special Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kosovo; Kosovo Police

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* This designation is made without prejudice to positions on status and is in accordance with UNSCR 1244/ 1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.