EU trains dozens of Ukrainian law enforcement officers in blockchain and cryptocurrencies

Dozens of Ukrainian civil servants have taken a course on handling cryptocurrencies. This should help government agencies more effectively combat the laundering of illegally obtained funds through virtual assets, Obozrevatel reports.

A series of online trainings was organized on January 19−20 for 80 employees of special agencies. The event was organized by Asset Reality with the support of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI), the agency’s press service reported.

Among others, the course was attended by employees of the State Financial Monitoring Service, the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) and other agencies.

The relevance of such trainings in the EU is explained by the fact that criminals often use cryptocurrencies to launder and conceal the proceeds of crime. Due to the fact that such assets allow for the anonymization of the criminal, law enforcement officers face obstacles in investigating cases involving cryptocurrency, and the ultimate beneficiaries of crimes avoid punishment.

«Currently, law enforcement agencies and financial analysts are struggling to find ways to trace cryptocurrency and link cryptocurrency transfers from one e-wallet to another to determine the ultimate beneficial owner. EUACI is trying to help our partners gain the necessary knowledge to investigate cryptoasset cases more effectively,» the EU agency said.