Albania and the United Kingdom have signed a landmark Asset-Sharing Agreement following the conclusion of a drug-related case and the recovery of criminal funds. This marks the first agreement of its kind in the region and sets a new precedent for international cooperation on asset recovery and the fight against organized crime.
The agreement follows the conclusion of a criminal case involving a conspiracy to supply cannabis to organized crime groups within the jurisdiction of England and Wales. Following joint asset-recovery efforts by British and Albanian authorities, proceeds of crime were successfully identified and recovered in Albania.
Under the agreement, the proceeds recovered from the case will be shared equally between the two countries, sending a clear message to criminals that British and Albanian authorities will pursue the proceeds of organized crime and work across borders. The agreement also paves the way for confiscated assets to be reinvested for social benefit in both countries.
The agreement was formally approved at an official ceremony in Tirana on July 13, attended by His Majesty’s Ambassador to Albania, Nicholas Abbott, and Risena Xhaja, Chief Administrator of Albania’s Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK).
It is the result of months of close cooperation between British and Albanian law enforcement and judicial authorities, supported by the UK Home Office, the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Albania’s Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK).
The post United Kingdom and Albania Sign Region’s First Asset-Sharing Agreement appeared first on Euronews Albania.
