Accountable Asset Return and the Rule of Law
Various sources and figures are often provided to show the scale of assets plundered by kleptocratcs and hidden overseas. The World Bank estimates that around US$ 8 billion in stolen funds have been frozen, adjudicated, or returned to affected countries since the early 1980s. One of the more pressing issue concerns the return of these stolen assets and the possibility that these repatriated funds be used to foster socio-economic development.
Against this backdrop, the Sustainable Development and the Rule of Law programme's contribution consists in:
- Exploring mechanisms for increasing transpareny and accountability in asset recovery, including by focussing on the role of victims.
- Making the connection between asset recovery and the Rule of Law
The programme does this by:
- coordinating and convening CSO and expert input into policy discussions on asset recovery
- building the evidence base through background papers, articles, blogs. The programme's research has covered, among other things, civil (non-conviction based) forfeiture mechanisms and the rule of law in developing countries (see here ).
