From 18 to 25 March, the Bolivian Vice Ministry of Social Defence and Controlled Substances and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a cycle of training aimed at reinforcing capacities on asset forfeiture linked to drug trafficking. Asset forfeiture, or asset seizure, is a form of confiscation undertaken by a state to fight against drug-trafficking and the trafficking of illicit goods. Therefore, asset forfeiture is a critical component to build the Bolivian State’s capacities in prosecuting crimes connected to these phenomena.
CRIMJUST, a component of the CRP, is part of the initiatives that will support the implementation of the cycle of training to be conducted in the country’s main cities, starting with Sucre, La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. Some high-level figures of the Bolivian judicial system and law enforcement institutions, including the Supreme Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court, the State Attorney General’s Office, and the Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking. In addition, Bolivian criminal justice officers who have the mandate to implement the Law No. 913 will also attend the training.
By signing a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2018, Bolivia became the 8th beneficiary country of the CRIMJUST project. The implementation of the project by the UNODC encourages cooperation and information-sharing among Bolivian criminal justice agencies to allow effective action in cases of transnational organised crime and drug-trafficking. Moreover, CRIMJUST seeks to support the Bolivian authorities responsible for law enforcement and the judicial institutions to strengthen integrity, accountability and resilience against corruption and the influence of organised crime.
