The NAC leadership and French Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of anti-corruption

The leadership of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (NAC) had an official meeting with Her Excellency Dominique Waag, Ambassador of the French Republic to the Republic of Moldova, the discussions being focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of preventing and combating corruption, as well as on the recovery of criminal assets.

During the meeting, the parties appreciated the high level of collaboration between the NAC and relevant French institutions and stressed the importance of continuing and deepening this strategic partnership. Special emphasis was placed on cooperation with the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA) in the field of corruption prevention, including through information exchange, participation in trainings and active involvement in the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities (NCPA). The importance of the dialogue initiated between the NAC and the AFA was also reiterated, aiming to intensify bilateral cooperation, develop a memorandum of understanding, and conduct mutual visits to identify areas of common interest.

An important chapter of the discussions focused on cooperation in the field of criminal asset recovery, including the collaboration between the NAC’s Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA) and its French counterparts – the Criminal Asset Identification Platform (PIAC) and the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC). In this context, the results obtained from the cooperation were highlighted, including the seizure of assets located on the territory of the French Republic, worth approximately 76 million lei.

Also, previously carried out joint projects and activities were mentioned, such as the Moldova-France bilateral conference on the recovery of criminal assets (October 2022), the trilateral seminar in April 2023, organized at the headquarters of the NAC, as well as the recent meeting with representatives of the French agency Expertise France, focused on identifying institutional needs eligible for funding through French projects.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed their readiness to continue cooperation and to capitalize on the French experience to improve the effectiveness of measures to prevent and combat corruption, as well as to recover criminal assets.