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Description
The project aims to enhance the capacity of the Public Ministry to tackle criminality (including corruption and organized crime), which will contribute to strengthening the rule of law and the capacity of the judiciary. To achieve this, the project envisages capacity and institutional building, i.e. a comprehensive assessment of the overall resources allocated to financial crime investigations, specialized training for prosecutors, police officers and other specialized personnel, and exchange of best practice. In addition, the purchase of technical equipment for the use of prosecutors in their criminal investigations shall be realised (audio/video equipment, communications equipment, wire-tapping equipment, mobile forensic laboratories, drones, cameras, thermo-vision cameras, etc.).
Summary of project results
The project’s main objective was to enhance the capacity of the Public Ministry to better tackle criminality (including corruption and organized crime in all areas). The means used within the project for increasing the efficiency of the Romanian prosecution were enhancing the knowledge of the practitioners through continuous training and by endowing the prosecutors’ offices with the necessary technical equipment for the efficient and modern investigation of the cases.
Outcome 4 was implemented through the predefined project “Fighting Criminality and Corruption”. The financing contract was signed on November 27th, 2018 with an implementation period until April 27th, 2024.
The project was structured on four outputs corresponding to the programme outputs under outcome 4, the results achieved being as following.
Within output 4.1 Capacity of the Public Ministry to fight criminality and corruption assessed
The partner International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) completed the assessment in March 2024. The assessment was presented during the final conference of the project and included recommendations for the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the National Anticorruption Directorate and Directorate for Investigation Organized Crime and Terrorism
Output 4.2 – Law enforcement specialists trained on tackling organized crime
App. 233 specialists from NAD, DICOT and POCHCCJ (prosecutors, police officers, specialists, judicial police officers) were trained on different topics related to the organized crime, such as: migration and combating terrorism, cybercrime and computer investigations – online, communication and hearing techniques, on using the platform Chainalysis Reactor.
Output 4.3 – Law enforcement specialists trained on tackling corruption
App. 707 specialists, prosecutors, police officers, experts and clerks from NAD, DICOT and POCHCCJ were trained on different topics related to tackling corruption, such as: combating environmental crimes, tax evasion and money laundering, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and communication and hearing techniques, on investigation of cryptocurrency transactions, as well as on the search of electronic devices and the analysis of the information identified therein.
Output 4.4 – Technical upgrade of prosecutors'' office
POHCCJ has procured a mobile forensic laboratory (widely used by the prosecutors and specialists when investigating complex cases, which require an adequate forensic investigative response), computer products, software for 2D + 3D forensic sketches, UTM (Unified Threat Management) type security equipment, DSLR camera and satellite phone used by the forensic specialists, a server for encrypted communications and software for encrypted communications, one unnamed aerial vehicle (UAV) - drone, 7 digital forensics workstations, software for the analysis of information from open sources, surveillance equipment and equipment for special investigative techniques, etc.. The equipment is being used by POHCCJ and local prosecutor units specialists.
NAD has procured a web-based document management platform (490 users), security and firewall equipment, unified communication and collaboration solution (700 users) and zero-day prevention appliances. The equipment is being used by NAD specialists.
DIOCT has procured the technical equipment for hearing undercover investigators and witnesses, IMSI catcher (International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher), which is a vehicle endowed with technical equipment to be used on the go by DIOCT for intercepting mobile phone traffic and for tracking the location data of mobile phone users, plus quick deployment of auxiliary equipment for environmental wire-tapping equipment and environmental wiretapping equipment. The equipment is being used by DIOCT specialists.
The project enhanced the capacity of the prosecution offices to investigate the criminal phenomenon through professional training in the field of combating organized crime and corruption, as well as by providing the necessary endowments for conducting modern investigation.
As such, the project supported the Romanian practitioners to better approach specific fields, such as migration and combating terrorism, cybercrime and computer investigations, communication and hearing techniques, using the platform Chainalysis Reactor, combating environmental crimes, tax evasion, money laundering, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, communication and hearing techniques, investigation of cryptocurrency transactions etc. Thus, the project addressed the needs of the Romanian judiciary in topics of interest, helping them acknowledge the latest investigative techniques and thus contributing to a better law enforcement.
Better trained law enforcement professionals with access to the latest investigation techniques and adequate technical infrastructure in line with the newest developments in the field will create the premises for the delivery of investigations of the criminal phenomenon in a timely and effective manner. The enhanced quality of the investigations and the timely manner in which they are conducted will allow the courts to solve the cases more swiftly and more effectively. This, in return, will contribute to the general objective of the programme, which is strengthening the rule of law.
Last but not least, the project consolidated the administrative capacity of the judicial system, as the necessary equipment was procured, respectively upgraded at the level of the prosecutors’ offices.