Anatoly Vyborny: “Today it is crucial to develop preventive measures, including for combating the financing of terrorism”.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defence and Security of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA) Anatoly Vyborny took part in a regular session of the CSTO PA Council in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
During the meeting, participants discussed a number of significant issues, including the situation in the CSTO area of responsibility and measures to counter challenges and threats to collective security, as well as the results of the international interagency research to practice conference Model Legislation of the CSTO and CIS Member States as a Tool to Ensure Security and Counter New Challenges and Threats.
Anatoly Vyborny spoke about the introduction of additions and amendments to the 2016–2020 Action Plan of the CSTO PA on Approximation and Harmonization of National Legislation of the CSTO Member States. A draft model law on the confiscation of illegally obtained property is a significant project of the Recommendations on Approximation of the legislation of CSTO Member States. The goal of the draft model law is to combat corruption, financing of terrorism and other types of lucrative crimes.
“The thing is that fight against terrorism, and countering the financing of terrorism in particular, is an unconditional priority for the Organization. Our country adopted a Development Concept of the National System of Countering Legalization (Laundering) of Illicit Proceeds and Terrorism Financing.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, only in 2017, 100 crimes connected with terrorism financing were detected in Russia, mostly committed with the help of e-wallets, deliberate transfer of funds from stable well-resourced sources and recently also with the help of cryptocurrency. The development of the national system in this area will contribute, among other things, to strengthening Russia’s position in international structures involved in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
The adoption of the model law on non-conviction-based confiscation and its subsequent implementation in the national legislation of the CSTO Member States will also make it possible to achieve a number of socially important goals. For example, it will be possible to seize property from third parties who have not been charged with a crime and in the absence of direct proof of the property’s criminal origin (e.g., citizens who own significant property and who are related or otherwise linked to a perpetrator and are unable to reasonably explain the legality of its origin).
At the same time, it is crucial to move away from the defensive agenda and develop a prevention mechanism which will allow to respond quickly to the first signs of money laundering and terrorist financing. Accordingly, this will help preventing such offences more effectively,” Mr Vyborny said.
​