ENSURING SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS (THE EU-PERSPECTIVE/ ADDED VALUE OF EUROJUST) Michèle Coninsx Vice-President Eurojust National Member for BE, Deputy Prosecutor General Liverpool, March 4 th 2008

EUROJUST ? 27 EU PROSECUTORS / JUDGES More Effective Co-ordination & Co-operation

AIMS  Improve co-operation between Competent Authorities in Member States  Bring better co-ordination of cross-border investigations and prosecutions  Exchange of information  To make recommendations to change laws to improve MLA & Extradition arrangements

JUDICIAL CO ORDINATION OFFERS FORUM FOR:  Discussion about admissibility of evidence  Verification of opportunity to launch simultaneous evidence gathering  Discussion about appropriate or best jurisdiction  Verification of opportunity to establish a JIT  Information of practitioners about best channels / instruments of the obtainment of evidence

2 CASE ILLUSTRATIONS - OPERATION KOALA - OPERATION SKANDERBEG

OPERATION KOALA AIM to present Eurojust’s involvement and added value in a case concerning child abuse on the internet STRUCTURE - Background - Coordination meetings at Eurojust - Obstacles encountered - Joint press release and Results - Future of the case

BACKGROUND Video tape containing child pornographic materiallinked to Belgium Persons involved: - Belgian father abused his 2 daughters - Italian national was photographer & video producer (had a studio in Ukraine and owned a website for child pornographic purposes) - US citizens were customers/clients - Many customers through internet Investigations started in Belgium and Italy

COORDINATION MEETINGS AT EUROJUST IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH EUROPOL 25 October April May November 2007: coordination meeting & joint press release Coordination of investigations Simultaneous, coordinated actions in all countries involved Exchange of information: gathering of sufficient information for prosecution

COORDINATION MEETINGS AT EUROJUST MAIN DECISIONS: - Time frame for investigations/actions May ’07 – Sept. ’07- Identification of targets - Arrests - Interrogations of suspects - Seizures - Common media strategy

OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED Deadline for finalising the common actions had to be postponed Some countries did not finish their investigations and therefore could not be in the joint press release Some countries did not want to be in the joint press release Leakages to the media before joint press conference Information received by EJ & EP was not always coinciding

JOINT PRESS RELEASE AND RESULTS Newspapers, radio, TV from at least 15 different countries + press agencies following 3 days worldwide coverage of the case 16 countries provided results to the press: targets identified - 93 arrests until November 5th - Thousands of videos and photos found - Hundreds of computers seized

OPERATION SKANDERBEG FACTS - Transnational Albanian criminal network - Operating in BE, DE, FR, IT, LU, AT, NL, UK - Involved in drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, prostitution, money laundering, trafficking in illegal arms and stolen vehicles, organised burglaries

ACTIONS - Facilitation of execution of letters of request (LOR) - 2 coordination meetings: - exchange of information discovering of central role of certain persons in drug traffic - close involvement of Europolcoordinated approach police investigations & prosecutions - simultaneous actions in 6 countries - Joint EJ – EP press release OUTCOME - Destabilisation of the group in BE - Decrease of organised thefts & cocaine seizures at border - Arrests - Seizures of drugs, weapons, money, stolen objects

ADDED VALUE OF EUROJUST Exchange of information/LOR’s: quick, time saving Coordinating actions in several countries International cooperation (multilateral): forum bringing together all involved parties (prosecutors, police authorities, investigators, Europol,…) Better overview/more information for prosecution Common media strategy: avoid jeopardising ongoing investigations

Michèle Coninsx Vice-President Belgian National Member EUROJUST Tel Fax Maanweg 174 NL AB The Hague The Netherlands