Judges and prosecutors from Moldova strengthened their capacity to investigate and prosecute crimes involving virtual assets during the Virtual Assets Thematic School for Judiciary, held in Bucharest from 23 to 25 March. The event was organized by the OSCE in partnership with the National Institute of Justice and INTERPOL, and hosted by Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
Participants discussed key operational and legal aspects of virtual asset investigations, including early co-operation between investigators and prosecutors, cross-border asset seizure, the collection and presentation of blockchain evidence, and ensuring the admissibility of digital evidence in court.
Experts from the OSCE, DIICOT, and a representative of INTERPOL shared operational experience and international good practices. The participation of multiple institutions fostered dialogue on joint responses of criminal justice practitioners to rapidly evolving criminal methodologies.
"In today's modern society, almost everything is moving into the virtual space. This thematic school provides a solid foundation for finding common solutions to increasingly complex problems," said Alina Albu, Chief Prosecutor of DIICOT.
The school also enabled judges and prosecutors to exchange practical experiences on challenges encountered in court, including issues related to the admissibility of evidence, chain of custody, and translating complex blockchain data into clear legal arguments.
"Nobody is prepared to face such complex criminal cases alone. Co-operation is key. The National Institute of Justice aims to train specialized professionals capable of addressing cases involving virtual assets," noted Ramona Strugariu, Director of the National Institute of Justice.
The thematic school was organized as part of the OSCE extrabudgetary project " Innovative policy solutions to mitigate money-laundering risks of virtual assets ," implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, with support from Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
