Category: Eurojust

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President of Slovenia praises results from cross-border judicial cooperation

Source: Eurojust

During a visit to Eurojust, the President of Slovenia, Ms Nataša Pirc Musar, highlighted how judicial cooperation through the Agency supports justice being done across borders and ensures Europe’s safety. She met with Eurojust President, Mr Ladislav Hamran, who acknowledged Slovenia’s role in the fight against organised crime across Europe, and Eurojust Vice-President, Mr Boštjan Škrlec, who illustrated how Slovenian representation at Eurojust engages with partners from the European Union and beyond, to coordinate judicial cooperation and enhance security.

The President of Slovenia, Ms Nataša Pirc Musar said: I am pleased with the excellent work of Eurojust, particularly its cooperation with the competent authorities in Slovenia. I welcome the EU’s focus on tackling organized crime, such as money laundering and corruption, which cannot be addressed by national authorities alone. I believe a solid legal framework and political will are essential for effective cooperation with other countries, and Slovenia supports all initiatives in this regard. We will need to continue relying on Eurojust’s experience, both in developing new legislative approaches and in better implementing existing ones, ensuring their complementarity, and added value.

Since 2020, Slovenian authorities have worked on more than 1 300 cross-border cases at Eurojust. The Slovenian authorities initiated 1 070 of these cases whereby they requested cooperation with other authorities, following their own national investigations. In 304 cases, the Slovenian authorities were a requested party. Recently, Slovenian authorities worked together with Italian authorities to arrest a dangerous Italian fugitive criminal leader in Koper, Slovenia. Authorities from Slovenia were involved in 18 joint investigation teams (JITs). This cooperation tool allows authorities to directly exchange information and evidence in real time and jointly carry out operations, making judicial cooperation easier and more efficient.

The importance of Slovenian cooperation in cross-border judicial cooperation was emphasised by Eurojust president, Mr Ladislav Hamran, who stated, Crime carries no passport, and it is only through close cross-border cooperation between prosecutors and investigative judges that we can we ensure justice. With a 25% increase in its Eurojust caseload since 2020, Slovenia sets a strong example as a key partner for the EU’s safety and security. I am deeply grateful to President Pirc Musar for her support, and look forward to working even more closely with colleagues in Slovenia going forward.

The Eurojust cases that Slovenian authorities participated in focused mostly on swindling and fraud. Other crime areas that authorities were investigating included money laundering, drug trafficking and organised crime. Through Eurojust’s support tools, national authorities within and outside the European Union are able to work together effectively. Eurojust helps authorities overcome legal, language and resource barriers in their criminal investigations, ensuring that national borders are no obstacle to prosecuting crime and serving justice.

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EuroMed Justice Project joins partners to strengthen regional efforts to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling

Source: Eurojust

The 5-day course enhanced law enforcement’s and judicial authorities technical capacities in addressing transnational organized human trafficking and migrant smuggling crimes by adapting current and state-of-the-art investigation techniques and practices. It was organised under the framework of the Action Plan A: Countering the trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants within the cross-Mediterranean region.

Using various innovative and interactive training strategies, more than 50 human trafficking and migrant smuggling investigators, border security officers, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary from eight MENA countries were trained on addressing several cutting-edge topics relevant to the trafficking of persons and migrant smuggling crimes. It included identifying indicators and new criminal patterns and leading proactive investigations in the absence of victim cooperation, as well as prosecuting traffickers and smugglers successfully within a human rights framework.

Additionally, the training adopted a victim-centric approach, which provided participants with up-to-date practices for managing victims throughout the investigation and prosecution process. During that module, participants benefited from Eurojust’s experience via the participation of a representative of the Eurojust Victims’ Rights Working Group. The training also highlighted effective impact gender-sensitive policies could have on the success of the investigation process, especially in these types of crimes.

Lastly, the participants were introduced to new crime patterns and the challenges of the use of advanced technology like artificial intelligence in committing the crime and responding to it.

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The joint investigation team enhances investigations into crimes of torture, ill-treatment and filtration in Ukraine

Source: Eurojust

Over the last two and a half years, the JIT’s operations have significantly strengthened the capacity of member states to investigate Russian war crimes, laying a solid legal foundation for gathering, preserving, and exchanging evidence.

Just three weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Eurojust supported the establishment of a JIT set up on 25 March 2022 by Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. On 30 May 2022, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia became members, followed by Romania on 13 October 2022. On 3 March 2023, the JIT’s seven national authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Department of Justice.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Europol have been participants in the JIT since April 2022 and October 2023, respectively.

United for Justice conference

The United for Justice Conference, organised by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine on 11 September in Kyiv, was dedicated to the attacks committed by Russia to vital civilian infrastructure objects and their impact on Ukrainian population.

Since the start of the war, Ukraine has suffered devastating assaults on the energy grids, healthcare and education facilities, and agricultural land. The destruction has been widespread. Entire villages, towns, and cities have been nearly or completely destroyed, and homes, schools, hospitals have been reduced to ruins.

According to the data shared by the Ukrainian authorities, agricultural land has decreased by 24% since February 2022, affecting food security globally as well as the livelihoods of Ukrainians. As of December 2023, 3,798 educational institutions have been bombed or shelled, denying countless children the education they deserve.

The conference was officially opened by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin, Eurojust President, Ladislav Hamran, and other key stakeholders involved in accountability efforts for core international crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine.

Ladislav Hamran, Eurojust President,
© Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine

President Hamran commented: International humanitarian law is clear: civilian objects – those that do not serve a military purpose – cannot be targeted. These laws exist to protect those who are not involved in the fighting and their violation can constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Today, we are here to deliver a powerful message: Ukraine, with the support of the international community, will not let this happen. At Eurojust, we remain fully committed to making sure that justice is done.

During today’s conference, President Hamran also presented Eurojust’s operational work to tackle the illicit sale of technologies to Russia, a global challenge that needs a global response. In addition to this operational work, on 12 July, Eurojust and the U.S. Department of Justice organised a key meeting in The Hague to address this issue.

The conference dedicated several sessions to analysing the scale of the damage done to the energy, grain and ports infrastructure, and the health care and education facilities. Participants discussed the urgent need to investigate and prosecute these crimes and to mobilise resources to deter their commission and effectively deal with their consequences.

Eurojust and the war in Ukraine

Since the outbreak of the war, Eurojust has been at the forefront of supporting accountability for Russian crimes. Just three weeks following the full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022, Eurojust supported the setting up of a JIT that now consists of Ukraine, six EU Member States, the International Criminal Court and Europol.

In February 2023, Eurojust launched the Core International Crimes Evidence Database (CICED), based on an urgent amendment of Eurojust’s mandate, following the invasion of Ukraine. So far, thousands of files from various countries including Ukraine have been submitted to CICED for preservation and analysis. The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine (ICPA), launched in July 2023 is also hosted by Eurojust, and together with CICED supports the work of the JIT.

For more information on the various actions taken by Eurojust since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, please consult our dedicated webpage.

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Eurojust at the Just Peace Open Day 2024

Source: Eurojust

09 September 2024|

2024 marks the 125th anniversary of the first Hague Peace Conference (1899) and many events are taking place in The Hague to mark this occasion.

Peace and justice organisations from across The Hague will open their doors to the public for the Just Peace Open Day on 22 September 2024.

This year, members of the public can find Eurojust at the House of Europe. Here you can meet the prosecutors tackling cross-border crime, listen to their stories on how Eurojust works or take part in a quiz about how we are getting justice done. We also have a special activity for children where they can help find evidence of crimes!

Attendees can also register to listen to a presentation by Eurojust’s Vice-President and Liaison Prosecutor from The Netherlands.

  • 10:30-11:30 – Eurojust Presentation by Vice-President Bostjan Skrlec (English)
  • 14:30-15:30 – Eurojust Presentation by Liaison Prosecutor Alexander Van Dam (Dutch) 

More information about the event and how to register can be found here.

Date and time

Sunday, September 22 · 10am – 4pm CEST

Location

Huis Van Europa
5 Korte Vijverberg 2513 AB Den Haag

Important: the Eurojust building will not be open during the Just Peace Open Day 2024.

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Three Belarusian nationals charged for forcing Polish plane to land to arrest dissident

Source: Eurojust

Belarusian air traffic controllers forced the aircraft to divert from its route to Vilnius by providing false information about an alleged explosive device, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Minsk airport. After the aircraft landed in Minsk, the passengers were evacuated and their luggage was searched.

During the evacuation, two passengers, a Belarusian dissident and his companion, were arrested by officials. Investigations into the incident revealed that these arrests were the real reason the flight was diverted to Minsk.

Immediately after the incident, investigations were launched by the Polish and Lithuanian authorities. With the support of Eurojust, a joint investigation team (JIT) team was set up, which interviewed a number of witnesses, including passengers and the crew of the aircraft, and secured recordings and photographs taken during the incident.

The unprecedented nature of the case called for very close cooperation between multiple countries. Eurojust organised several coordination meetings and facilitated the execution of European Investigation Orders in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania to secure evidence and the requests for legal assistance in Switzerland, Norway and the United States.

Witnesses testified that air traffic controllers were informed of the false bomb threat by their superiors. The air traffic controllers were then instructed by Belarusian officials on what action to take and what information to pass on to the pilots of the aircraft.

The cooperation of the authorities led to the issuing of arrest warrants for three Belarusian nationals. The suspects are charged with unlawfully depriving 132 people of their liberty through terrorist acts and intending to seriously intimidate numerous people, including groups opposed to the Belarusian regime. Detention on remand for three months is imposed on all suspects.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

  • Lithuania: Department for Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation at the Prosecutor General’s Office, Criminal Police Bureau
  • Poland: Mazovian Division of the Department for Organised Crime and Corruption of the National Public Prosecutor’s Office; Internal Security Agency
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Find Eurojust in the European Pavilion at the World Port Days in Rotterdam

Source: Eurojust

From 6-8 September 2024, you can find Eurojust at the 47th annual World Port Days event in Rotterdam.

Ports are key gateways that connect Europe with the rest of the world. Each year, more than 90 million containers enter the 3 main EU ports – Antwerp, Hamburg and Rotterdam. They are essential hubs for economic growth and prosperity, and create many labour opportunities.

At World Port Days event, thousands of visitors are invited to discover the port of Rotterdam. The programme includes special ships, exciting excursions, spectacles on the water and the European Pavilion: the primary destination for anyone interested in learning about the various benefits and initiatives of the European Union in the Netherlands.

The European Pavilion, created by the European Commission Representation in the Netherlands and Kansen voor West, will bring together agencies and projects that are based in the Netherlands and financed through the EU budget. This includes the three EU Agencies headquartered in the Netherlands: Eurojust, Europol and the European Medicines Agency.

Security & Ports

In recent years, criminals have infiltrated Europe’s ports to organise the passage of illegal goods into the EU. This includes drugs trafficking, one of the most serious security threats faced by Europe today. Recent statistics show that nearly 70% of drugs seizures made by customs takes place in Europe’s ports.

With 20 years of experience, Eurojust knows what it takes to bring international drug smugglers to justice. We support more cross-border drug trafficking cases every year: 2500 in 2023 alone, which resulted in €25.6 billion worth of drugs seized. Eurojust is also a member of the European Ports Alliance, which aims to improve security in all EU ports.

Ask A Prosecutor

Interesting in learning more about how Eurojust works with prosecutors from across the EU to combat crime and get justice done? On Friday morning, our National Member from the Netherlands, Mr. Alexander van Dam, will be at our stand in the European Pavilion to answer all of your questions.

Additional information and the full programme of activities can be found here: https://wereldhavendagen.nl/

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Mr Philip Schotland starts as new Swiss Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

Upon taking up his new role, Mr Schotland stated: ‘It’s a great honour to be appointed Liaison Prosecutor and thus be able to contribute the experience I have already built up in the Swiss bureau at Eurojust. This also shows the importance my national authorities attach to maintaining continuity in combating cross-border crime.’

The new Liaison Prosecutor joined the Swiss Federal Office of Justice in June 2022, starting as deputy at Eurojust a month later that same year. Previously, he worked as a public prosecutor in the canton of Basel-City and as an assistant as of 2015. In this capacity, he specialised in serious crimes and investigations into organised crime groups, drawing on his experience in cross-border judicial cooperation.

Mr Schotland graduated as a Master of Law from Basel University in 2012 and did his bar exam in 2014. The Netherlands is familiar territory to the new Liaison Prosecutor, as he completed an internship at the Swiss embassy in The Hague after his graduation in 2012. Following this experience, Mr Schotland was a trainee at a private law company and at the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Basel, before becoming an assistant there.

The new Liaison Prosecutor speaks German, French and English. He is also attached to the office of the Swiss Armed Forces Attorney General, in the rank of major.

Switzerland is one of the twelve countries* outside the European Union that have a Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust, based on a Cooperation Agreement. Liaison Prosecutors represent their national judicial authorities and can open requests for cross-border cooperation with EU Member States and vice versa.

*The following other third countries have Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust: Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States

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Fugitive Italian crime leader arrested in Slovenia

Source: Eurojust

A fast and coordinated action by Italian and Slovenian authorities, supported by Eurojust, has led to the arrest of a dangerous criminal hiding in Koper, Slovenia. The leader of an Italian organised crime group (OCG) was on the run from a 21-year prison sentence. He had been convicted of several crimes including drug trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.

The Italian OCG leader, of Calabrian origin, fled on the eve of his conviction in February this year. A national and European Arrest Warrant was issued for the 40-year-old fugitive. Complex investigations lasting several months were launched. The fugitive was finally located in Slovenia through a phone tapping and surveillance operation.

It was at this point that Eurojust became involved in the operation by executing a European Investigation Order (EIO). The EIO enabled surveillance activities in Slovenia, including phone tracking and physical tailing. In just 10 days, the EIO was executed and the Slovenian and Italian authorities were able to pinpoint the fugitive’s precise location in Koper, leading to his arrest on 20 August.

In February, the OCG leader was sentenced to 21 years in prison. The Italian was the leader of a criminal organisation that trafficked cocaine throughout Italy. He was also convicted of other crimes such as robbery, fraud, embezzlement, extortion, kidnapping and the illegal possession of weapons. In a separate trial, he was found guilty of mafia-related offences.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

  • Italy: General Prosecution Office at the Court of Appeal of Perugia; Carabinieri – ROS (Special Operational Department); Anti-crime Section of Ancona and Investigation Unit of Fermo; SIRENE Office at the Italian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
  • Slovenia: Public Prosecution Office of Koper; Police Directorate in Koper.
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Eurojust supports large-scale anti-mafia operation leading to arrest and freezing of EUR 50 million

Source: Eurojust

To support other major mafia families, the OCG was involved in various criminal activities, including extortion, money laundering and the fraudulent transfer of valuables. An integrated network of financial professionals in Italy and around the world helped the OCG to invest its profits in companies in Italy, including a well-known hotel.

In 2016, the suspects moved their activities to Brazil to support another Italian criminal and launder more of their profits. The money arrived in Brazil through multiple transit bank accounts and with the support of their network of financial professionals in Italy.

One of the main members of the mafia family moved to Natal, Brazil, to start several companies using straw men and shell companies. Most of the companies were involved in large real estate and construction projects, such as a building site near the northeastern coast of Brazil. As these real estate projects were guaranteed to generate exceptionally high profits, it was easy for the OCG to hide their criminal gains. The total assets of the family are estimated at over EUR 500 million.

The Italian and Brazilian authorities have been investigating the activities of the OCG since 2022 through a joint investigation team (JIT), set up with the support of Eurojust. Their investigations uncovered the activities of the OCG in Switzerland. Through Eurojust, the Swiss authorities were involved in the JIT’s investigations.

On 13 August, a large coordinated operation took place in Italy, Switzerland and Brazil, with support from Eurojust. In Italy, 21 searches were carried out at the homes of the OCG members and the offices of their companies. A suspect was arrested in Brazil and financial assets worth EUR 50 million euros belonging to 17 individuals (all under investigation) were seized, as well as 12 companies involved in the real estate, construction and hospitality sectors. In Switzerland, the house of an Italian businessman was searched.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

  • Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Palermo – District Antimafia Directorate; Guardia di Finanza – G.I.C.O. (Organized Crime Investigative Group) of Palermo
  • Brazil: Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Rio Grande do Norte
  • Switzerland: Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland; Federal Office of Police fedpol
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Financial scammers detained following actions coordinated by Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

The OCG started their scam by posting false advertisements on the internet that promoted an investment plan that would lead to secure, quick and substantial earnings in virtual currencies. To ensure the credibility of the advertisements, pictures of well-known people, logos of banks and specialised economic publications were added.

People clicking on the advertisement were led to a fake investment platform where the victims would fill in their personal information. To obtain even more personal data, the scammers, posing as financial actors, called their victims to gain access to their bank accounts. With access to the bank accounts, the group transferred sums of money and took over the possession of the victim’s virtual currencies. Through this scam, the OCG was able to gain approximately EUR 3 million.

Investigations into the scam started after victims in Romania reached out to the authorities. This resulted in the uncovering of an organised crime group in Moldova that was responsible for the scam. Investigations continued at Eurojust, where the Romanian and Moldovan authorities set up a joint investigation team (JIT) to work together quickly and efficiently to stop the OCG.

The coordinated actions led to an action day on 7 August during which 19 house searches were conducted in Moldova and evidence such as computers, data storage units, weapons and ammunition, and documents were seized. Moldovan authorities ordered the preventive detention of 12 suspects.

Europol supported the action day by setting up a virtual command post to coordinate the operational activities, providing live cryptoanalysis and cross-checks against Europol’s databases as the data was being collected in the field.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

  • Romania: Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure
  • Moldova: Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases